UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Position Boosted by Trust Co. of Vermont

Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,993 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,268 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 1.0% of Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $19,725,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. West Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 132.1% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 65 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at $37,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock traded down $0.56 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $510.03. The company had a trading volume of 7,462,712 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,104,531. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a 50 day moving average of $551.50 and a 200-day moving average of $562.62. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52 week low of $436.38 and a 52 week high of $630.73. The firm has a market cap of $469.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.23, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.62.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $100.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.60 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.63% and a return on equity of 26.37%. The business’s revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $5.83 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $2.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is presently 54.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNH has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res raised UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays cut their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $655.00 to $642.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $595.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $601.00 to $609.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $627.74.

UnitedHealth Group 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.