Can Optum Support UnitedHealth's Profit Amid Industry Headwinds?

As UnitedHealth Group UNH is set to unveil second-quarter earnings on July 29, all eyes are on its dynamic platform, Optum. With a quarter filled with regulatory challenges and margin pressures in the health insurance space, Optum’s performance can be a stabilizing force that assures investors.

Optum’s diverse business model, which covers everything from pharmacy services to data analytics and value-based care, gives UNH a solid advantage. In the second-quarter 2025, even as medical costs are expected to have surged due to a rise in outpatient visits and elective procedures, Optum’s growth is likely to have provided a buffer. In 2024, Optum’s revenues grew 12%, followed by 4.6% growth in 1Q 2025. In 2Q 2025, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Optum’s revenues indicates a 7.3% year-over-year increase from the year-ago level of $62.9 billion.

OptumHealth is ramping up its value-based care model, which encourages better health outcomes while keeping costs down. This approach helps to cushion the impact of rising claims in the sector. OptumInsight is making waves with its tech and data-driven services, boosting operational efficiencies not only for external clients but also within UNH itself. OptumRx has established itself as a stable player by leveraging its scale in pharmacy benefit services. However, the current administration’s scrutiny of PBM pricing practices poses a significant operational risk.

If this quarter shows either stable or improved margins from Optum, it could boost investor confidence, suggesting that UnitedHealth’s integrated strategy still has long-term potential, even in the unpredictable world of healthcare.

How Are Competitors Faring?

Some of UNH’s major competitors in the healthcare service provider space are Elevance Health Inc ELV and The Cigna Group CI.

Elevance is doubling down on its Carelon services brand, focusing on analytics, digital health and pharmacy. The segment’s operating revenues rallied 36.1% year over year in the second quarter of 2025. Elevance’s operating revenues rose 14.3% year over year in the same quarter.

Cigna's health services division, Evernorth, offers a range of services, including pharmacy benefits, behavioral health support and data analytics. The unit’s adjusted revenues climbed 16% year over year in the first quarter of 2025. Cigna is set to report on its second-quarter results on July 31.

UnitedHealth’s Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates

Shares of UNH have declined 44.5% in the year-to-date period compared with the industry’s fall of 36.7%.

From a valuation standpoint, UnitedHealth trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 12.2, above the industry average of 11.2. UNH carries a Value Score of A.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for UnitedHealth’s 2025 earnings is pegged at $21.15 per share, implying a 23.5% drop from the year-ago period's actual.

The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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