Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Buys 331,539 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 89.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 702,722 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 331,539 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group comprises 0.6% of Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $355,479,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth $27,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 152.4% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 53 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. West Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 132.1% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 65 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.86% of the company’s stock.

UnitedHealth Group Price Performance

UNH stock opened at $543.76 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $500.41 billion, a PE ratio of 35.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $554.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $563.12. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $436.38 and a 1 year high of $630.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.00 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $100.82 billion during 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 revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.56 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNH has been the subject of several research reports. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $595.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $605.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. HSBC raised shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $595.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on UnitedHealth Group from $591.00 to $644.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $626.79.

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.