Mechanics Bank Trust Department Sells 2,040 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Mechanics Bank Trust Department cut its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 23.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,666 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 2,040 shares during the period. Mechanics Bank Trust Department’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNH. North Capital Inc. boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 16.2% during the third quarter. North Capital Inc. now owns 194 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Sunflower Bank N.A. grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 1,916 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $662,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Abound Wealth Management lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 244 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. GK Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 7.2% during the first quarter. GK Wealth Management LLC now owns 506 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $265,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Western Pacific Wealth Management LP boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 336 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $336.34 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $330.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $319.88. 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 $304.67 billion, a PE ratio of 17.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.05. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 19.23% and a net margin of 4.04%.The company had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.19 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.15 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $325.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $433.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $267.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. TD Cowen upped their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $335.00 to $338.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $385.54.

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.