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UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Dips More Than Broader Market: What You Should Know

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UnitedHealth Group (UNH - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $515.72, demonstrating a -0.48% swing from the preceding day's closing price. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily loss of 0.33%. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.37%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.53%.

Coming into today, shares of the largest U.S. health insurer had gained 11.78% in the past month. In that same time, the Medical sector lost 3.24%, while the S&P 500 lost 4.03%.

Market participants will be closely following the financial results of UnitedHealth Group in its upcoming release. The company plans to announce its earnings on April 17, 2025. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $7.27, reflecting a 5.21% increase from the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $111.01 billion, up 11.24% from the prior-year quarter.

Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $29.63 per share and revenue of $451.2 billion. These totals would mark changes of +7.12% and +12.72%, respectively, from last year.

Furthermore, it would be beneficial for investors to monitor any recent shifts in analyst projections for UnitedHealth Group. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the company's business health and profitability.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has remained unchanged. UnitedHealth Group is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

Looking at valuation, UnitedHealth Group is presently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 17.49. This indicates a premium in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 14.85.

It's also important to note that UNH currently trades at a PEG ratio of 1.41. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. The average PEG ratio for the Medical - HMOs industry stood at 1.12 at the close of the market yesterday.

The Medical - HMOs industry is part of the Medical sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 203, finds itself in the bottom 20% echelons of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.


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