UnitedHealth Group (UNH) closed the most recent trading day at $347.75, moving +2.75% from the previous trading session. The stock's change was more than the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.16%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 1.21%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 1.18%.
The stock of largest U.S. health insurer has risen by 4.2% in the past month, leading the Medical sector's loss of 1.32% and the S&P 500's loss of 0.42%.
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. In that report, analysts expect UnitedHealth Group to post earnings of $2.09 per share. This would mark a year-over-year decline of 69.31%. 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 $447.7 billion, demonstrating changes of -41.07% and 0%, respectively, from the preceding year.
Any recent changes to analyst estimates for UnitedHealth Group should also be noted by investors. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-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 utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.
The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.01% higher. Currently, UnitedHealth Group is carrying a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
In terms of valuation, UnitedHealth Group is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 19.23. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 15.58, so one might conclude that UnitedHealth Group is trading at a premium comparatively.
It's also important to note that UNH currently trades at a PEG ratio of 2.04. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. Medical - HMOs stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.04 based on yesterday's closing prices.
The Medical - HMOs industry is part of the Medical sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 215, putting it in the bottom 13% 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 follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
Zacks Investment Research
