UnitedHealth (UNH) stock surged nearly 8% on Thursday after the company posted Q2 adjusted earnings of $6.38 per share, well above the $4.91 analysts had expected. Revenue hit $112 billion, topping the $110.8 billion consensus.
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated, UNH
The stock was already up about 27% year-to-date heading into the print. The results gave investors what they were looking for: a second straight quarter showing medical costs under control.
The headline number everyone was watching was the medical-cost ratio. It came in at 86.7% — down from 89.4% a year ago and better than the 88.4% Wall Street had penciled in. A lower ratio means the company keeps more of its premiums.
Management pointed to “product design changes, improved medical management, and better aligned pricing” as the drivers behind the improvement.
UnitedHealth also lifted its full-year adjusted EPS outlook to a range of $19.50 to $20.00, up from a previous floor of $18.25. Analysts had been modeling $18.49.
The rally wasn’t limited to UNH. Humana (HUM) and CVS Health — which runs insurer Aetna — both picked up around 1% after the market opened. All three have exposure to the Medicare Advantage market, which has been under pressure from elevated costs.
UnitedHealth has been pulling back in Medicare Advantage to protect margins. The company now expects full-year enrollment in its MA plans to fall by roughly 1.1 million beneficiaries.
Tim Noel, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, said on the investor call that Medicare cost trends are “still running well above historical levels, but below our expectations so far in 2026.” He credited benefit redesigns and updated care management models.
Raymond James analyst John Ransom called it “a strong 2Q” that was “widely expected” and said it “should be good enough to keep the rally going.”
Wells Fargo’s Stephen Baxter added that “UNH’s momentum exiting 2Q26 appears quite strong.”
On Friday, UNH added another 3% as Baird analyst Michael Ha upgraded the stock to Hold from Sell, lifting his price target to $453 from $287. Ha cited growing confidence in near-term MA margin improvement and slowing healthcare cost trends.
His analysis of industry data suggests MA utilization has eased this year, pointing to “flatter provider coding intensity growth.” If that holds, it could boost MA margins into 2027.
Ha remains cautious on Optum Health’s ability to hit its long-term 6%–8% margin target, especially with potential headwinds from changes to the MA risk model expected in early 2027.
He also flagged concerns at Optum Insight, noting margin volatility, weak backlog visibility, and questions around client retention.
Wall Street overall holds a Strong Buy consensus on UNH, based on 19 Buy ratings and four Holds. The average price target sits at $450.91, implying about 4% upside from current levels.
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