Core Insights - UnitedHealth Group's stock dropped 20%, reaching a five-month low, following disappointing earnings and unchanged Medicare rates announced by the Trump administration [1] - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) estimated a mere 0.09% increase in payments to private Medicare Advantage plans for the next year, significantly lower than previous years [1] - Other health insurers, including Humana, CVS Health, and Elevance Health, also experienced sharp declines in their stock prices [1] Group 1: Company Performance - UnitedHealth's fourth-quarter revenue was reported at $113.2 billion, falling short of expectations, while adjusted earnings per share met forecasts at $2.11 [1] - The company anticipates total revenue exceeding $439 billion in 2026, reflecting a 2% year-over-year decrease due to planned right-sizing [1] - UnitedHealthcare expects to insure up to 2.8 million fewer people this year, with Medicare Advantage projected to account for nearly half of that reduction [1] Group 2: Market Context - Healthcare stocks have struggled in recent years, impacted by high healthcare costs and political pressures regarding affordability [1] - The healthcare sector had previously shown momentum but is now facing potential headwinds due to political risks and consumer frustrations [1] - Investors are cautious due to the Trump administration's focus on lowering healthcare costs and the criticism from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [1]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the author's personal investment in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) and highlights a positive outlook on the stock, indicating a belief in its potential for growth [1]. Group 1: Company Insights - UnitedHealth Group is a company that has been consistently covered by the author, who has a long position in its shares [2]. - The author emphasizes a commitment to studying business and economics, which informs their analysis of the stock market [1]. Group 2: Investment Perspective - The article is intended for both beginners and advanced readers, aiming to provide a clear and reasoned perspective on investment opportunities [1]. - The author also engages with a broader audience through a YouTube channel called "The Market Monkeys," where they discuss various stocks, including UNH [1].

Group 1: Affirm (AFRM) - Affirm's stock has gained attention after Needham upgraded it to a buy with a $100 price target, highlighting its application to establish Affirm Bank as a Nevada-chartered industrial loan company [2] - The Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) market is expected to grow significantly, with U.S. spending projected to reach $198 billion by 2026, driven by increasing consumer debt and e-commerce demand [4] - BNPL usage surged, with shoppers spending approximately $20 billion between November 1 and December 31, marking a 9.8% year-over-year increase [3] Group 2: CoreWeave (CRWV) - CoreWeave's shares rose by 12% following Nvidia's $2 billion investment to expand AI data center capacity, which is expected to diversify CoreWeave's client base [5] - The investment allows CoreWeave to accelerate its goal of adding over 5GW of AI infrastructure by 2030, leveraging Nvidia's financial strength [6] - Deutsche Bank upgraded CoreWeave to a buy rating with a $140 price target based on the Nvidia news [5] Group 3: Humana (HUM) - Humana's shares fell over 19% after the Trump Administration proposed nearly flat rates for Medicare Advantage insurers [7] Group 4: Apple - JPMorgan reiterated its overweight rating on Apple and raised its price target to $315 from $305 ahead of the company's first-quarter earnings [8]

Market Overview - Wall Street is experiencing volatility with mixed profit reports from major companies, leading to a slight rise in the S&P 500 by 0.5% while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 288 points or 0.6% [1] - The Nasdaq composite increased by 1% [1] Company Performance - UnitedHealth Group's stock dropped by 19.1% despite reporting a profit that exceeded analysts' expectations, primarily due to a disappointing revenue forecast for the upcoming year [2] - Other healthcare companies, including Humana, Elevance Health, and CVS Health, also faced significant declines of 20.2%, 13%, and 12.9% respectively, influenced by a projected rate increase for Medicare Advantage that did not meet investor expectations [3] - Corning's stock rose by 15.5% after announcing a $6 billion deal with Meta Platforms to supply optical fiber and cable for data centers [4] - General Motors and HCA Healthcare saw stock increases of 9% and 11.1% respectively, both reporting profits that surpassed Wall Street's expectations and initiating stock buyback programs [5] - UPS's stock rose by 4.4% following a stronger profit report and a positive revenue forecast for 2026, while American Airlines' stock fell by 4.2% due to a profit that fell short of expectations [6] Market Sentiment and Economic Indicators - There is increasing pressure on companies to deliver strong profit growth following record stock price increases, as stock prices typically align with corporate profits over the long term [7] - Anticipation surrounds upcoming earnings reports from major tech companies, including Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Tesla, and Apple [7] - Big Tech stocks contributed positively to the S&P 500, with Apple and Microsoft gaining 2.2% and 2% respectively [8] - The Federal Reserve is expected to maintain its main interest rate steady, with inflation remaining above the 2% target [9] - Consumer confidence in the U.S. has weakened, dropping to its lowest level since 2014, which could impact market sentiment [10]

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK)(NYSE:BRK) disclosed a new stake in UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) in August, but after an initial rally, the stock has since fallen, putting the position underwater.Buffett's Berkshire Bets on UNH StockA 13F filing from Berkshire Hathaway unveiled the purchase of 5,039,564 UNH shares by the conglomerate in the second quarter, a position that represented one of the largest new buys from the company, then led by Buffett.The purchase of UnitedHealth shares in the s ...

UnitedHealth Is Pummeling the Dow. The Rest of the Market Is Fine. - Barron'sSkip to Main ContentThis copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.# UnitedHealth Is Pummeling the Dow. The Rest of the Market Is Fine.By [Paul R. La Monica]ShareResize---ReprintsIn this article ...

Big health insurers lose nearly $90 billion in market capitalization after Medicare proposed a relatively flat rate increase for next year. ...

Key Points Health insurance company UnitedHealth Group missed on sales but met expectations for adjusted earnings this morning. GAAP earnings fell nearly 100% however, sparking a sell-off. 10 stocks we like better than UnitedHealth Group › Shares of health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) stock imploded this morning, falling 19% through 11 a.m. ET after reporting Q4 earnings. The weird thing is... UnitedHealth didn't miss earnings, or at least not at first glance. Analysts forecast U ...

We're back on Morning Trade Live. Let's focus on health insurers. United Health, Humanana, CVS, and Elevance are all moving lower this morning after the Trump administration proposed keeping Medicare Advantage rates relatively flat in 2027.You can see how much that is impacting these stocks right now down in double digits. We are seeing some heavy heavy selling pressure this morning despite the fact that actually we heard from United Health with respect to their earnings. But this story is not helping.So th ...

Earnings Reports - Boeing (BA) reported a Q4 loss of -$1.91 per share after excluding a one-time sale of Digital Aviation Solutions for $10.55 billion, with revenues up +57% year over year to $23.95 billion [1] - UnitedHealth (UNH) beat earnings estimates by 2 cents at $2.11 per share, but revenues fell slightly by -0.04% to $113.22 billion, leading to a pre-market share drop of -15% [2] - General Motors (GM) exceeded earnings expectations with $2.51 per share, a +14% beat, and reported quarterly revenues of $45.29 billion, down -1.83%, while announcing a +20% increase in dividends [3] - United Parcel Service (UPS) posted earnings of $2.38 per share on revenues of $24.48 billion, beating estimates by +7.2% and +1.95% respectively, although shares were trading modestly down after initial gains [4] Market Expectations - January Consumer Confidence is anticipated to be reported at 90, slightly above the previous month's 89.1, but still below the 100 points average seen over the past four years, reflecting consumer strain from a delicate labor market and policy shifts [5] Upcoming Earnings - Texas Instruments (TXN) is expected to report Q4 earnings with flat year-over-year growth but a +10.7% increase in revenues, continuing a streak of eight consecutive quarterly earnings beats, with the stock up +13% since the start of the year [6]