South Dakota Investment Council increased its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH – Get Rating) by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 82,319 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for 1.0% of South Dakota Investment Council's holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. South Dakota Investment Council's holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $41,574,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. TimeScale Financial Inc. grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 276.9% during the 3rd quarter. TimeScale Financial Inc. now owns 49 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC grew its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 160.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 52 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Knott David M Jr acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Belmont Capital LLC lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 294.1% during the 3rd quarter. Belmont Capital LLC now owns 67 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, O Dell Group LLC lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 76.9% during the 3rd quarter. O Dell Group LLC now owns 69 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 86.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Raymond James downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $615.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, November 21st. UBS Group decreased their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 18th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $588.00 to $592.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 17th. SVB Leerink reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $625.00 to $618.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $615.00 to $617.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $599.39.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $5.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.17 by $0.17. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 27.04% and a net margin of 6.21%. The company had revenue of $82.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $82.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.48 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 24.91 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 450 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $542.30, for a total value of $244,035.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,736 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,737,532.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

About UnitedHealth Group

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UnitedHealth Group, Inc engages in the provision of health care coverage, software, and data consultancy services. It operates through the following segments: UnitedHealthcare, OptumHealth, OptumInsight, and OptumRx. The UnitedHealthcare segment utilizes Optum's capabilities to help coordinate patient care, improve affordability of medical care, analyze cost trends, manage pharmacy benefits, work with care providers more effectively, and create a simpler consumer experience.

Further Reading

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