Circle Wealth Management LLC Lowers Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Circle Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 2.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,105 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after selling 145 shares during the quarter. Circle Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $2,985,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNH. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% in the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC increased its position in UnitedHealth Group by 671.4% during the 2nd quarter. Macroview Investment Management LLC now owns 54 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. West Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 87.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UNH. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $595.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $601.00 to $609.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $675.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, HSBC lowered shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $618.26.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNH opened at $610.53 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $561.86 billion, a PE ratio of 39.77, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $585.43 and a 200 day moving average of $556.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a one year low of $436.38 and a one year high of $630.73.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.00 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $100.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.14 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 26.37% and a net margin of 3.63%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.56 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a dividend of $2.10 per share. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.72%.

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.