UnitedHealth Group (UNH) closed at $334.20 in the latest trading session, marking a -2.02% move from the prior day. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.24%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.62%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 0.23%.
Prior to today's trading, shares of the largest U.S. health insurer had gained 6.42% outpaced the Medical sector's gain of 2.79% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.31%.
The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of UnitedHealth Group in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is scheduled to release its earnings on January 27, 2026. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $2.09, showcasing a 69.31% downward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $113.64 billion, up 12.73% from the prior-year quarter.
For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $16.3 per share and a revenue of $448.05 billion, demonstrating changes of -41.07% and +11.94%, respectively, from the preceding year.
Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for UnitedHealth Group. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability.
Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has remained unchanged. As of now, UnitedHealth Group holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
From a valuation perspective, UnitedHealth Group is currently exchanging hands at a Forward P/E ratio of 20.92. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 14.38, which means UnitedHealth Group is trading at a premium to the group.
One should further note that UNH currently holds a PEG ratio of 2.22. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Medical - HMOs industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.35 as of yesterday's close.
The Medical - HMOs industry is part of the Medical sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 189, positioning it in the bottom 24% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.
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UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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