UnitedHealth hits $404.15 high

UnitedHealth Group shares climbed to a 52-week high of $404.15 on May 13 as investors weighed improving first-quarter insurance costs against the company’s pullback in Medicare Advantage. Market data showed the stock traded as high as $404.15 during the session before closing at $401.16. Reuters reported on May 13 that first-quarter results across U.S. health insurers pointed to more stable medical costs after several years of pressure, though analysts said they wanted to see another quarter before concluding the trend had turned. The report said rising costs in government-backed plans had weighed on the sector for three years and pushed the S&P managed care index down more than 12% since July 2023. (stockanalysis.com) UnitedHealth’s own first-quarter numbers were part of that shift. In its April 21 earnings release filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said its medical care ratio was 83.9% in the quarter, down 90 basis points from the first quarter of 2025. It reported adjusted earnings of $7.23 a share on revenue of $111.7 billion and said full-year 2026 adjusted net earnings were expected to exceed $18.25 a share. (finance.yahoo.com) The filing also showed that UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement posted first-quarter revenue of $42.1 billion, up 1% from a year earlier, with growth from repricing partly offset by attrition in seniors served. In the company’s March 31 quarterly report, UnitedHealth said increased pricing, exits from certain markets and fewer people served through Medicare Advantage offerings were expected to continue through 2026. (sec.gov) That retrenchment in Medicare Advantage has been in place for months. Reuters reported on October 1, 2025, that UnitedHealth would stop offering Medicare Advantage plans in 109 U.S. counties in 2026, affecting about 180,000 members, as it responded to higher costs and reimbursement pressure. UnitedHealthcare said at the time that it was making “strategic adjustments” to its plans for 2026. (sec.gov) UnitedHealth has separately projected a broader decline in Medicare Advantage membership. Becker’s Payer reported in October 2025 that the company expected Medicare Advantage enrollment to fall by 1 million in 2026, up from an earlier projection of a 600,000-member decline, and quoted UnitedHealthcare CEO Tim Noel as saying the company had made benefit changes, plan exits and network reductions. That estimate is consistent with the attrition language in UnitedHealth’s more recent SEC filings. (usnews.com) Analysts cited by Reuters said one quarter of lower medical-cost pressure was encouraging but not conclusive. That caution helps explain why UnitedHealth’s rebound in the stock market has come alongside continued scrutiny of its Medicare Advantage positioning, which remains central to the company’s insurance business and to investor expectations for margin recovery. (beckerspayer.com) UnitedHealth’s next scheduled milestone is its second-quarter earnings report, expected on August 4, 2026, according to market data services. Investors will be watching for updated medical care ratios, Medicare Advantage membership trends and any change to the company’s full-year earnings outlook. (zacks.com) (finance.yahoo.com)