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- UnitedHealth's Earnings Jumped 60%. Is the Comeback Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
UnitedHealth's adjusted earnings per share rose about 61% year over year in the third quarter of 2026, beating Wall Street expectations, while revenue also topped forecasts. Management raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to at least $20.50, up from the previous range of $19.50 to $20.00. The improvement came mainly from more disciplined pricing and better medical cost control, with the medical care ratio falling to 88.4% from 89.9%. Optum Health's operating earnings reached $735 million, compared with $41 million a year earlier. The stock trades at a P/E of about 23, and 26 analysts give a consensus Strong Buy with targets between $380 and $529, though risks include membership declines, medical costs and stricter regulation.
- UnitedHealth Group Incorporated Q3 2026 Earnings Call Summary
- UnitedHealth Group tops estimates, hikes profit outlook as insurer manages high medical costs
UnitedHealth Group reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $4.69 per share, above the $4.14 analysts expected, and raised its fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings outlook to at least $20.50 per share from $19.50 to $20. Revenue reached $112.69 billion versus $111.40 billion expected. Its medical cost ratio came in at 88.4% against an expected 89.9%, but CFO Wayne DeVeydt said costs remain elevated versus historical norms, with the No Surprises Act dispute resolution process adding at least 1 percentage point. The company is shrinking membership, exiting unprofitable contracts, and investing in value-based care and AI, with acute hospital admissions down 15% and home health admissions up 10%. Net income was $4.11 billion, or $4.56 per share.
- GLP-1 drug coverage is being dropped by employer plans: What to know about 2027 weight-loss options
More employers are dropping coverage of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss or offering smaller payouts, and some are shifting to third-party weight-management programs as healthcare costs climb. A WTW survey found 53% of employers with more than 100 employees cover GLP-1s for weight loss, down from 57% in 2025, while 16% are considering removing coverage, up from 9%. Marsh expects health insurance cost per employee to rise 8.2% in 2027, the biggest increase since 2003, with GLP-1 use accounting for one percentage point of that growth. Some employers direct workers to buy the drugs through NovoCare or LillyDirect, where self-pay Wegovy starts at $149 a month for the pill and $199 for the shot. Gallup reports that 11% of U.S. adults took GLP-1 medications for weight loss in 2026, up from 3% in 2024.
- Abbott Laboratories vs . UnitedHealth : Does Health Innovation or Health Insurance Make for a Better Stock to Buy ?
The article compares Abbott Laboratories (ABT), a maker of medical devices, diagnostics and nutrition products, with UnitedHealth Group (UNH), which runs the UnitedHealthcare insurance arm and Optum health services. In FY 2025 Abbott's revenue rose about 6% to $44.3 billion, but net income fell to about $6.5 billion from $13.4 billion, largely due to a $385 million settlement. UnitedHealth's revenue grew nearly 12% to about $447.6 billion, while net income dropped to about $12.1 billion from $14.4 billion, a net margin of about 2.7%. Medicaid and Medicare premiums made up 44% of UnitedHealth's 2025 revenue, exposing it to government policy, while Abbott faces FDA oversight and debt from its $20 billion acquisition of Exact Sciences. Free cash flow was about $7.4 billion for Abbott and about $16.1 billion for UnitedHealth in FY 2025.
- Premiums for Employer - Sponsored Family Health Coverage Top $28 , 000 in 2026
According to KFF's annual benchmark survey of large and small employers, workers this year pay an average of $7,471 annually toward employer-sponsored family health premiums, up 9%, or $621, from 2025. Including the employer's share, total annual premiums for family coverage average $28,303, up 5% or $1,310 from 2025. Wages rose 3.7% and general inflation rose 2.7% over the same period, though inflation has been higher in recent months.
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- Why Shake Shack Stock Jumped 20% in October
Shake Shack shares rose 20% in October according to S&P Global Market Intelligence, amid a broader rotation into restaurant stocks as investors sold AI stocks. The gain was supported by plans to enter Brazil through a licensing partnership, several positive analyst notes, including Morgan Stanley raising its price target from $74 to $79 and UBS lifting its target from $68 to $73, and a late-month jump tied to Nelson Peltz's buyout proposal for Wendy's. Shake Shack will report third-quarter earnings on Thursday, with analysts expecting revenue to grow 16% to $426.3 million and adjusted EPS to fall from $0.36 to $0.34. Investors will watch same-store sales growth and margins, as the company has struggled to turn revenue growth into profit growth.
- Over 2.5 million tax codes stuck: Debt write-off is not enough, a streamlined dissolution path is needed
The Ministry of Finance says that as of 23 October 2026, over 2.5 million taxpayers had ceased operating without completing procedures to close their tax codes or no longer operated at their registered address, including about 643,000 in status 03 and nearly 1.88 million in status 06. The ministry proposes waiving business licence fees and late-payment interest and reducing penalties for late tax filings, but lawyer Nguyen Van Duoc argues the bigger bottleneck is reconstructing years of accounting records, which is nearly infeasible for firms dormant for 10-20 years. He proposes allowing retroactive dissolution dates tied to when the tax authority determines a firm is no longer operating, alongside a streamlined dissolution process. As an example, a firm inactive since 2007 faced more than VND 78.2 million in charges that could fall to VND 6.9 million under the draft. VTCA proposes classifying files and handling cases based on data.
- Asian FX gains as dollar falls on U.S. midterm results, yuan weakens on PBOC move
Most Asian currencies strengthened on Wednesday as the dollar retreated amid uncertainty over U.S. midterm results, while the yuan stayed weaker after Beijing moved to curb its recent rally. The Reserve Bank of Australia raised its cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.85%, its fifth increase this year and the highest level in 18 years, in a surprisingly divided 6-3 vote that fuelled expectations the tightening cycle may be nearing its end. The U.S. dollar index fell 0.5% to 101.34, the South Korean won gained 0.5% to 1,337.98 per dollar, and the yen strengthened 0.7% to 157.64 per dollar. Democrat Jon Ossoff won re-election in Georgia and Roy Cooper flipped a Republican-held Senate seat in North Carolina, while control of Congress remained uncertain, and the 10-year Treasury yield fell 4 basis points to 4.919%. Brent crude traded around $103.85 a barrel after falling about 1% to a near four-week low, as markets weighed diplomatic efforts to end the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine against the risk that further attacks disrupt supplies.
- History Shows a Worst-Case Scenario Unfolding for Stocks on Election Night, as Well as a Silver Lining That Isn't Getting Enough Attention
The article cites Retirement Researcher's analysis of S&P 500 returns from 1926 to 2023, showing average annual returns of 16.63% under a split Congress with a Democratic president, 14.51% under unified Republican control, 14.01% under unified Democratic control, and 7.33% under a split Congress with a Republican president. If prediction markets are correct, the last scenario would take shape over the next two years. UBS assigns a 50% probability to Democrats winning both chambers, while prediction markets put Democratic control of the House at 94% and the Senate at 77%. The article notes that 7.33% still beats average returns of Treasury bonds, commodities, real estate and certificates of deposit. Since 1950, the S&P 500 has rallied the following year every time a party lost both houses of Congress, by an average of 21.3%.
- A small, hidden entity helps Russia and Iran move billions of dollars worldwide, but the US still hesitates to crack down
The Wall Street Journal reports that money from Russia and Iran continues to flow through Chinese banks, with Zhejiang Chouzhou Commercial Bank (ZCCB) serving as a key conduit, including payments for goods that could serve military purposes. Although US officials monitored ZCCB under both the Biden and Trump administrations, Washington has not imposed sanctions, as it is hard to determine whether the bank knew the origin of the funds and it fears straining ties with Beijing. A February 2025 transaction shows a Kyrgyz company agreeing to pay about $1.5 million to a Chinese supplier for 40,000 kg of molybdenum trioxide, with payment made to an account at ZCCB. ZCCB says it complies with laws and has opened an internal probe, but cannot confirm the funds came from Russia, while China rejects unilateral US sanctions.
- Amazon cuts more jobs as CEO touts record margins, retail gains
The e-commerce giant eliminated more positions in October. Its overall workforce and sales are still growing.
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