Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC Boosts Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 16,293 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 2.3% of Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $9,526,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Macroview Investment Management LLC raised its position in 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 buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, Signature Resources Capital Management LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 40.0% in the 2nd quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $590.87 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $582.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $553.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $543.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.49, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.58. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $436.38 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.37% and a net margin of 3.63%. The firm had revenue of $100.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.56 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 earnings per share for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNH shares. HSBC downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. UBS Group cut their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $680.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $595.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research 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 note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, StockNews.com cut UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $615.53.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

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.