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UnitedHealth Group Incorporated

UNH · NYSE

Market closed$426.09$2.71 (+0.64%)After hours $427.00 · +0.21%

Key statistics

Previous close$423.38
Open$425.59
Day high$437.47
Day low$425.10
52-week high$461.62
52-week low$234.60
Market cap386.95B
Volume9.94M
Average volume7.26M
P/E ratio26.08
Forward P/E17.86
EPS16.34
Dividend yield+2.10%

Market context

Why it moved

UnitedHealth Group's stock rose following a blowout Q2 2026 earnings report in which adjusted EPS of $6.38 crushed analyst estimates by over 30%, driven by a sharply improved medical benefit ratio and a 29% rebound in Optum operating income, while management raised its full-year 2026 EPS guidance and doubled its share buyback target.

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What is happening

Recent company-specific developments and publisher coverage.

July 18, 2026UnitedHealth Group edged higher, continuing to consolidate after Thursday's massive earnings-driven rally, as a wave of analyst price target upgrades reinforced the bullish narrative. Q2 adjusted EPS of $6.38 demolished the $4.91 consensus, the medical cost ratio improved sharply to 86.7% (vs. 89.4% a year ago), and full-year adjusted EPS guidance was raised to $19.50–$20.00 — well above the prior $18.25 floor. Morgan Stanley lifted its target to $529, Goldman Sachs to $490, and Truist to $500, among others. CEO Stephen Hemsley declared the turnaround is "returning to form," while the company doubled its buyback target to at least $5 billion.

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July 17, 2026UnitedHealth Group's turnaround narrative gained significant momentum after a blowout Q2 earnings report, with shares closing modestly higher after initially surging as much as 10% intraday before pulling back. Adjusted EPS of $6.38 crushed the $4.91 consensus by over 30%, while the medical care ratio improved sharply to 86.7% from 89.4% a year ago — well below analyst estimates of 88.5%. The company raised its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $19.50–$20.00, well above the prior outlook and analyst consensus of ~$18.49. Optum operating income jumped 29% YoY to $4B, and CFO Wayne DeVeydt cited AI investments saving 200,000+ clinician hours as a key efficiency driver. Analysts responded positively — Truist kept a Buy with a $480 target, Piper Sandler raised its target to $477, and Baird upgraded from Underperform to Neutral. The intraday pullback from highs reflected investor caution around persistently elevated commercial medical cost trends (above 11%) and continued Medicare Advantage membership declines of ~965,000 since year-end 2025, with management acknowledging commercial margin recovery will take longer than originally anticipated.

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July 16, 2026UnitedHealth Group declined ahead of its highly anticipated Q2 earnings report due Thursday pre-market, weighed down by a mixed read-across from peer Elevance Health, which beat estimates but saw its stock slide on underwhelming full-year guidance and membership declines. Adding to pressure, the DOJ expanded its antitrust probe into Claritev over alleged conspiracies with UNH and other insurers to suppress out-of-network reimbursements. Despite multiple analyst target hikes — including Piper Sandler raising to $475 and Truist lifting to $480 — investors remained cautious ahead of Q2 results, where consensus expects EPS of $4.85 on $110.8B in revenue.

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July 15, 2026UnitedHealth Group edged lower ahead of its highly anticipated Q2 earnings report due Thursday, as investors weighed a wave of pre-earnings analyst upgrades against fresh regulatory headwinds. Truist, KeyBanc, and Raymond James all raised their price targets on the stock, while the DOJ expanded an antitrust probe into Claritev over alleged collusion with UNH and other insurers to suppress out-of-network reimbursements. Broader sector sentiment was also pressured by HCA Healthcare slashing its 2026 profit outlook due to rising uninsured volumes from ACA coverage losses.

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July 14, 2026UnitedHealth Group edged higher, closing near its 52-week high, as investors positioned ahead of its Q2 2026 earnings release scheduled for July 16 before the bell. Multiple analysts raised price targets — Wells Fargo lifted its target to $485, Mizuho to $470, and RBC Capital to $463 — reflecting confidence in the company's ongoing turnaround. Options markets are pricing in a ~7% post-earnings swing, with investors focused on the medical cost ratio and pricing-versus-care-use dynamics. Regulatory headwinds persist, including state laws and federal proposals targeting insurer vertical integration, though most legislative efforts face significant legal obstacles.

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July 11, 2026UnitedHealth Group closed modestly lower, underperforming a broader market that edged higher, as regulatory and legislative headwinds weighed on managed care sentiment. State-level legislation in Arkansas and Tennessee targeting insurer PBM and pharmacy operations — with UnitedHealth among those mounting legal challenges — has added ongoing uncertainty, while proposed ACA Marketplace premium hikes of ~14% for 2027 signal continued pricing pressure across the sector. Despite the pullback, analyst sentiment remains constructive, with recent price targets from Morgan Stanley ($468), BofA ($475), and JP Morgan ($466) all well above current levels, and the XLV healthcare ETF also closed lower, suggesting broader sector rotation ahead of Q2 earnings season.

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July 10, 2026UnitedHealth Group closed modestly higher, touching its 52-week high intraday, as the healthcare sector extended its remarkable winning streak — marking its best relative strength versus the broader market in over 15 years. Bullish analyst momentum supported sentiment, with RBC Capital raising its price target to $463 (from $400) while maintaining an Outperform rating, and Bank of America previously flagging stabilizing medical cost trends as a catalyst for a broader managed care rally. Jim Cramer called health insurance "the real bull market," while peer CVS's CEO offered reassuring commentary on medical cost controls ahead of Q2 earnings — a positive read-across for UNH.

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July 9, 2026UnitedHealth Group closed modestly lower amid a broad market risk-off move triggered by President Trump declaring the U.S.-Iran ceasefire 'over,' sending oil prices surging over 5% and pressuring equities. Against this macro headwind, several company-specific narratives kept investor attention focused: lawmakers in Arkansas and Tennessee enacted legislation targeting insurer vertical integration — specifically restricting pharmacy benefit management and retail pharmacy operations — with UnitedHealth among the companies mounting legal challenges. Separately, a new analysis showed ACA Marketplace insurers seeking a median 14% premium hike for 2027, with UnitedHealth's New York filing citing policy changes for 12.7% of its proposed increase. Adding to the constructive longer-term picture, the company's $1.5B AI investment strategy drew fresh analyst attention ahead of its mid-July earnings report, with multiple Wall Street price targets in the $440–$492 range and the stock near its 52-week high.

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Barron's · July 17, 2026UnitedHealth Stock: The 1 Number in the Earnings Beat That Has Shares JumpingStar Tribune · July 16, 2026UnitedHealth blasts health care providers’ ‘egregious’ awards under No Surprises ActInvestor's Business Daily · July 16, 2026Why UNH Stock Breakout Faltered After Massive Earnings BeatReuters · July 16, 2026UnitedHealth regains earnings momentum, shares surgeCNBC · July 16, 2026UnitedHealth blows past estimates, hikes earnings outlook as it reins in costsBloomberg.com · July 16, 2026UnitedHealth Reports Quarterly Profit Above Wall Street EstimatesWSJ · July 16, 2026UnitedHealth Results Handily Beat Wall Street ExpectationsBusiness Wire · July 16, 2026UnitedHealth Group Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
Benzinga · July 17, 2026Keybanc Maintains Overweight on UnitedHealth Group, Raises Price Target to $500
Benzinga · July 17, 2026Oppenheimer Maintains Outperform on UnitedHealth Group, Raises Price Target to $500
Mt Newswire · July 17, 2026Leerink Partners Adjusts UnitedHealth Group Price Target to $472 From $462
Mt Newswire · July 17, 2026UnitedHealth Poised for Further Growth Despite Employer Commercial Pressure, RBC Says
Mt Newswire · July 17, 2026UBS Adjusts Price Target on UnitedHealth to $490 From $460, Maintains Buy Rating
Benzinga · July 17, 2026Why UnitedHealth Can't Stop Saying One Word: 'Restless'
Benzinga · July 17, 2026UnitedHealth Analysts Increase Their Forecasts After Better-Than-Expected Q2 Results
Benzinga · July 17, 2026Truist Securities Maintains Buy on UnitedHealth Group, Raises Price Target to $500

Peers

S&P 500SPX · $7,457.78-1.01%Elevance Health Inc.ELV · $373.11+0.07%Humana Inc.HUM · $400.00+3.50%CVS Health Corp.CVS · $107.47+0.91%Cigna CorporationCI · $281.45-0.84%Centene Corp.CNC · $66.44+3.99%Molina Healthcare, Inc.MOH · $225.37+0.24%HealthEquity, Inc.HQY · $97.67-1.03%Oscar Health, Inc.OSCR · $29.10+0.83%HCA Healthcare, Inc.HCA · $371.18-3.77%Aflac IncorporatedAFL · $124.72+1.38%Alignment Healthcare, Inc.ALHC · $20.60+2.85%