UnitedHealth Group (UNH) posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit on strong demand for its health insurance products and growth in its health-services unit Optum.
The largest U.S. health insurer said members in its Medicare Advantage (MA) health plans for people older than age 65 or with disabilities increased by 900,000 in 2021.
UnitedHealth reported adjusted earnings of $4.48 U.S. per share, beating the consensus expectations of analysts who forecast earnings per share of $4.31 U.S., according to Refinitiv data.
The company’s fourth quarter revenues totaled $73.7 billion U.S., up 12.6% year-over-year and beating the consensus analyst forecast of $72.75 billion U.S.
United Health upheld its previous guidance of an adjusted profit of $21.10 U.S. to $21.60 U.S. per share for 2022.
