UnitedHealth Boosts Earnings Guidance to $19.50-$20.00 per Share After Strong Q2 Results

UnitedHealth Group, the largest private health insurer in the US, has raised its earnings guidance for 2026 to $19.50-$20.00 per share.

The Minneapolis-based company made this announcement after reporting a strong second-quarter performance that exceeded Wall Street expectations.

Adjusted earnings per share for the quarter reached $6.38, a 56% increase from the same period last year and roughly 30% ahead of the consensus forecast of $4.91.

The company's medical cost ratio, the percentage of premium revenue spent on members' medical care, fell to 86.7% in the second quarter from 89.4% a year earlier, a 270-basis-point improvement.