Financial Counselors Inc. Sells 1,742 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Financial Counselors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 151,815 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after selling 1,742 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for about 1.3% of Financial Counselors Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Financial Counselors Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $88,763,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Macroview Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 671.4% in the 2nd quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% in the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 40.0% during the second quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $591.00 to $644.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Friday, October 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $675.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $610.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $618.26.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNH traded up $1.59 during trading on Thursday, hitting $608.38. 2,269,792 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,865,617. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $436.38 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The company has a market cap of $559.88 billion, a PE ratio of 39.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $584.72 and a 200 day moving average of $555.39.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.00 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $100.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $99.14 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.37% and a net margin of 3.63%. The company's revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.56 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.72%.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.