Conning Inc. Decreases Stock Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Conning Inc. trimmed its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 100,304 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 18,695 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises about 1.2% of Conning Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Conning Inc.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $34,635,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,312,182 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $6,624,411,000 after purchasing an additional 675,075 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,837,207,000. Dodge & Cox raised its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 117.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,750,560 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $2,729,912,000 after buying an additional 4,730,192 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 6.1% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,502,469 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,340,346,000 after acquiring an additional 432,084 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 33.8% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 6,191,871 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,904,372,000 after purchasing an additional 1,565,245 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE UNH opened at $334.55 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $329.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $321.87. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $234.60 and a one year high of $606.36. The company has a market capitalization of $303.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82.

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

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a $2.21 dividend. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $433.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $286.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $333.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UnitedHealth Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $385.75.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

UnitedHealth Group Inc is a diversified health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, that operates two primary business platforms: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Founded in 1977, the company provides a broad range of health benefits and health care services to individuals, employers, governmental entities and other organizations. Its operations span commercial employer-sponsored plans, individual and Medicare and Medicaid programs, and services for customers and health systems in the United States and selected international markets.

UnitedHealthcare is the company’s benefits business, administering health plans and networks, managing provider relationships, and offering coverage products for employers, individuals, and government-sponsored programs.