JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd Sells 752 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd reduced its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 0.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 654,348 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 752 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 2.0% of JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $333,233,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of UNH. Soundwatch Capital LLC bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $870,000. Miramar Capital LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Miramar Capital LLC now owns 23,325 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $11,878,000 after purchasing an additional 1,627 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 963.5% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 411,381 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $209,500,000 after purchasing an additional 372,701 shares during the period. Sienna Gestion boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 2,619.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 21,074 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $10,727,000 after purchasing an additional 20,299 shares during the period. Finally, SkyOak Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. SkyOak Wealth LLC now owns 3,583 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $1,825,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. 87.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $546.00 to $559.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. HSBC raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $580.00 to $610.00 in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $615.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $481.00 to $647.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $614.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total transaction of $1,624,727.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at $16,812,029.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,785 shares in the company, valued at $4,507,748.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total transaction of $1,624,727.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,812,029.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $580.32 on Thursday. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $436.38 and a 1-year high of $607.94. The company has a market cap of $535.88 billion, a PE ratio of 35.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 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. The company has a 50-day moving average of $574.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $519.42.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.66 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $98.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $98.73 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 26.55%. UnitedHealth Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.14 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.34%.

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.