Anthem Stock Surges 3% After First-quarter Earnings Beat

Anthem Inc. shares rose 2.9% in premarket trade Wednesday after the company reported a first-quarter earnings beat and upbeat full year guidance. Earnings rose to $1.0 billion, or $3.73 per share, from $703 million, or $2.63 per share, in the year-earlier period. Adjusted earnings-per-share were $4.68, compared with the FactSet consensus of $3.88. Revenue rose to $22.53 billion from $20.29 billion, compared with the FactSet consensus of $21.30 billion. Anthem also raised its adjusted earnings guidance for full year 2017 to greater than $11.60 per share, compared with the FactSet consensus of $11.58. Anthem shares have risen 13.2% over the last three months compared with a 4.0% rise in the S&P 500 .