AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Lowers Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd decreased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 26.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 411,899 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 144,997 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up 1.0% of AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $208,363,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 697,335 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $352,754,000 after purchasing an additional 28,940 shares during the period. Campbell Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 27.7% in the fourth quarter. Campbell Wealth Management now owns 502 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $254,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the fourth quarter valued at $1,058,000. Vicus Capital boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Vicus Capital now owns 541 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $274,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet North America Advisors SA increased its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA now owns 19,517 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $9,873,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:UNH opened at $531.31 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The business’s 50 day moving average is $524.58 and its 200 day moving average is $563.71. The stock has a market cap of $488.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.61. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $436.38 and a 52-week high of $630.73.

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

Insider Activity at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $511.57 per share, for a total transaction of $511,570.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,302,065. The trade was a 28.57 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on UNH. Hsbc Global Res upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $625.00 to $610.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $629.32.

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.