UnitedHealth Finishes 2019 Strong
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) has been through some challenging times over the past several years. With politicians in Washington searching for ways to make healthcare more affordable for average Americans, many investors have feared that the health insurance giant could end up facing costly new regulations that would eat into its profits. So far, though, UnitedHealth has navigated the changing regulatory landscape well, while still trying to capitalize on growth opportunities along the way.
Coming into Tuesday's fourth-quarter financial report, UnitedHealth investors believed that the company would continue to perform well, and the numbers UnitedHealth posted largely lived up to those expectations. Even with the 2020 presidential election set to revive past debates about the healthcare sector, UnitedHealth has an ambitious agenda to keep itself moving in the right direction.
UnitedHealth's fourth-quarter results were consistent with the company's track record of steady success. Sales climbed 4% to $60.9 billion, which was only a little bit shy of what most investors had expected. Net income attributable to shareholders picked up 16% to $3.54 billion, and the resulting adjusted earnings of $3.90 per share was $0.12 better than the consensus forecast among those following the stock. For the full year, revenue of $242.2 billion was up 7% from 2018's levels, and adjusted earnings of $15.11 per share picked up 17% year over year.
Source Fool.com
