Overview
- UnitedHealth posted adjusted earnings of $7.23 a share on $111.7 billion in revenue and raised its 2026 profit outlook to at least $18.25 a share.
- The medical care ratio improved to 83.9%, a key measure of claims costs that signaled better control of medical spend.
- Shares climbed about 7% after the report as Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $395 and kept its Overweight rating.
- Analysts cited early progress at Optum and AI tools like Avery, a member chatbot, Optum Real, an AI claims system, and software that writes visit notes to cut paperwork and costs.
- The next check on durability comes with second‑quarter claims data, while steps like dropping most prior authorizations for rural providers aim to ease care and reduce friction for clinics and patients.