UnitedHealth Quarterly Earnings, Revenue Beat Expectations

UnitedHealth Group Inc. on Tuesday posted quarterly earnings and sales that were higher than analysts had expected. The health insurance provider said fourth-quarter earnings were $1.22 billion, or $1.26 a share, compared with $1.51 billion, or $1.55 a share, a year ago. Adjusted per-share earnings were $1.40. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were looking for adjusted earnings of $1.38 a share. Revenue at UnitedHealth for the most recent period was $43.6 billion, up 30% from $33.43 billion a year earlier. UnitedHealth affirmed its 2016 outlook, including estimated revenue of more than $180 billion and adjusted-earnings growth to a range of $7.60 to $7.80 a share. Shares of UnitedHealth were up 3.3% in scant premarket volume after the results.