UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) continued its strong 2026 performance on Thursday by delivering an outstanding second-quarter earnings report, with lower medical costs allowing profitability to soar.
UnitedHealth Group raised its full-year guidance, and shares were up more than 8% in morning trading
UnitedHealth Group stock is now up 37% in 2026, but it still has a potential long runway. The nation’s largest health insurer is still more than 25% off all-time highs set in 2024 and seems to be building momentum to return to those lofty levels. UnitedHealth Group’s earnings Revenue for the second quarter was solid, but unspectacular, coming in at $112 billion versus $111.6 billion a year ago.
But earnings from operations were much higher, at $8 billion versus $5.2 billion in Q2 2025. And earnings per share were $6.04, up from $3.74 a year ago. In addition, the company’s medical care ratio — the percentage of premium revenue paid in medical claims — was 86.7%, compared to 89.4% a year ago.