Empirical Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

by · The Cerbat Gem

Empirical Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Free Report) by 0.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,699 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after buying an additional 87 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 1.4% of Empirical Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Empirical Asset Management LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $10,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $120,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $332,000. Vima LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $154,000. Northwest Bank & Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $634,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,242,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:UNH traded up $1.61 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $599.66. 277,422 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,902,740. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $583.64 and its 200-day moving average is $531.35. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $436.38 and a 12-month high of $607.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $553.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.66 by $0.14. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.55% and a net margin of 3.66%. The company had revenue of $98.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $98.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.14 EPS. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.69 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were paid a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is 55.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on UNH shares. StockNews.com downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $546.00 to $601.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $481.00 to $647.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Friday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $675.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $555.00 to $615.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $617.37.

Read Our Latest Research Report on UnitedHealth Group

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,507,748.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,507,748.55. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total value of $1,624,727.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,812,029.88. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

Featured Stories

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UNH? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Free Report).