Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Cuts Stake in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. reduced its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 15.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 770,012 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 144,039 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned approximately 0.09% of UnitedHealth Group worth $240,221,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Caitlin John LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 14.8% in the first quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 862 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $451,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 21.8% during the second quarter. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC now owns 4,425 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,380,000 after purchasing an additional 791 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the second quarter valued at $1,324,000. Wealth Effects LLC increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 14.4% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 4,688 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $1,463,000 after buying an additional 591 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 48.9% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,790 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,806,000 after buying an additional 1,901 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE:UNH opened at $341.83 on Friday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 12-month low of $234.60 and a 12-month high of $606.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $339.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $316.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $309.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.43.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.19 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 19.23%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.15 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a dividend of $2.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 46.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $333.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $317.00 to $409.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $300.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $385.54.

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.