Whittier Trust Co. Raises Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Whittier Trust Co. increased its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 91,213 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,226 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $46,140,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNH. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Pillar Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth $40,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of UNH stock opened at $503.05 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $510.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $548.22. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $436.38 and a 12-month high of $630.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $460.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.69% and a net margin of 3.60%. The firm had revenue of $100.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.83 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 54.19%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at $2,302,065. This represents a 28.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNH has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $694.00 to $660.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Hsbc Global Res raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $625.00 to $610.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $629.32.

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.