Private Trust Co. NA Trims Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Private Trust Co. NA cut its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 11,680 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 63 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up 0.7% of Private Trust Co. NA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Private Trust Co. NA’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $6,149,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. now owns 3,316 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,746,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Breakwater Capital Group increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 2,447 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,255,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 20.9% in the 4th quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 1,302 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $685,000 after buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 36.1% in the 4th quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC now owns 747 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $393,000 after buying an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AJ Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 55.4% during the 4th quarter. AJ Advisors LLC now owns 631 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $332,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other UnitedHealth Group news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total transaction of $451,127.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,977,233.31. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other UnitedHealth Group news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 858 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.79, for a total transaction of $451,127.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,977,233.31. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,236 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $483.48, for a total value of $597,581.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,527,306.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on UNH shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $605.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $551.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $591.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $675.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $578.62.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

Shares of UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $1.00 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $456.38. The company had a trading volume of 1,252,571 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,172,431. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $499.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $518.08. The stock has a market cap of $420.75 billion, a PE ratio of 19.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $445.68 and a 1-year high of $554.70.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 12th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.98 by $0.18. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.39%. The business had revenue of $94.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.34 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Group’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a dividend of $1.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $7.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 31.54%.

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.