Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Boosts Holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,459 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after acquiring an additional 3,998 shares during the quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $7,630,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• More Than a Rebound: UnitedHealth Is Back in the Game

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Citizens National Bank Trust Department grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 17,886 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $9,368,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 530,103 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $277,641,000 after buying an additional 1,465 shares during the period. Caitlin John LLC grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 14.8% during the 1st quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 862 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth $1,324,000. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 277,916 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $145,559,000 after buying an additional 14,112 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on UNH. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $337.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $337.00 to $379.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Baird R W downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $310.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $358.95.

• As the Market Rotates, This Healthcare ETF Is Leading the Way

Get Our Latest Stock Report on UNH

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.6%

NYSE:UNH opened at $336.72 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $304.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.45. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a twelve month low of $234.60 and a twelve month high of $630.73. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $295.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $364.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

• Top 5 ETFs and Stocks to Watch as the Fed Eyes Rate Cuts

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $4.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.45 by ($0.37). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 23.32%. The business had revenue of $111.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.80 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. UnitedHealth Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.000- EPS. Equities research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.30%.

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.

Further Reading

• Five stocks we like better than UnitedHealth Group
• Transportation Stocks Investing
• Caterpillar Stock Hits All-Time High—Is There More Room to Run?
• Insider Trades May Not Tell You What You Think
• Berkshire-Backed Lennar Slides After Weak Q3 Earnings
• Mastering Discipline: Overcoming Emotional Challenges In Trading
• Analysts Turn Bullish on Hershey—Is Pepsi the Next Value Play?

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UNH? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Should You Invest $1,000 in UnitedHealth Group Right Now?

Before you consider UnitedHealth Group, you'll want to hear this.

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and UnitedHealth Group wasn't on the list.

While UnitedHealth Group currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

View The Five Stocks Here