UnitedHealth Group Incorporated · UNH · FY2026 Q1 · Calendar Q2 2026

UnitedHealth beats Q1 with EPS $7.23, reaffirms 2026 outlook above $18.25 as all segments beat plan

UnitedHealth delivered a clean beat in Q1 2026 - adjusted EPS of $7.23 (+11.9% vs consensus) on revenue of $112.0bn (+2.4% YoY) - with all four segments ahead of plan. The near-term story is margin recovery rather than membership volume: management is leaning on repricing, AI-enabled cost efficiencies (~$1.5bn AI investment targeting a 2:1 ROI), and digital engagement while guiding membership down about 1.3 million for the year. That balanced narrative - a beat today, deliberately shrinking volumes ahead, and FY2026 EPS reaffirmed above $18.25 - supports continued earnings growth, but it hinges on medical cost trends (MA trend ~7-8% vs ~10% pricing) staying contained and on regulators not moving the goalposts on Medicare Advantage rates or PBM rules.

Reported Before market openNYSEHealthcare $340.56B market cap
100quality score

Earnings scorecard

Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS $7.23 Consensus $6.46
EPS surprise +11.9% Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue $112.03B Consensus $109.43B
Revenue surprise +2.4% Reported versus consensus

Market reaction

prior-close to event-session close
Stock move +7.0% Event window
SPY move -0.7% Same window
Abnormal move +7.6% Stock minus SPY
Volume 3.2× Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift +12.5% Up to 20 sessions
UNHSPY benchmark

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What changed

Q1 2026 was the first earnings update since UNH raised its 2026 outlook in the prior quarter. The company beat consensus on both adjusted EPS ($7.23 vs $6.46 expected, +11.9%) and revenue ($112.0bn vs $109.4bn), with all segments ahead of plan. Guidance was maintained rather than raised - FY2026 adjusted EPS reaffirmed above $18.25 - while capital deployment ratcheted up: $2bn of share repurchases targeted by end of Q2, sale of the U.K. business for $525m (with $400m to the United Health Foundation), the Alegeus Technologies acquisition (accretive in 2027), and a $1.5bn AI investment program.

Guidance delta

Maintained. Management reaffirmed FY2026 adjusted EPS above $18.25, after raising it to above $17.75 (at least 8.6% growth) in the prior quarter. The market rewarded the reaffirmation and the beat: the stock moved an abnormal +7.6% on the report session versus a -0.7% benchmark, and subsequently drifted roughly +12.5% higher in the weeks after.

Key takeaways

  • All operating segments exceeded Q1 plan, with UnitedHealthcare pricing improvements and Optum Health operational gains.
  • FY2026 adjusted EPS guidance reaffirmed above $18.25, with $2bn of share repurchases targeted by end of Q2.
  • Membership is expected to decline about 1.3 million in 2026 (roughly one-third total decline vs prior year), with growth to come from margin recovery rather than volume.
  • AI and digital tools are scaling: 73m digital visits and 95% of prior authorizations submitted electronically, with a $1.5bn AI investment targeting a 2:1 ROI.
  • Portfolio moves: U.K. business sold for $525m; Alegeus Technologies acquisition expected accretive in 2027.

Management priorities

  • Deploy AI across core processes targeting a 2:1 ROI and commercialize AI solutions externally.
  • Expand rural hospital payment acceleration by 50% and build network partnerships with regional health systems.
  • Scale digital tools including the Avery AI chatbot and digital prior authorization.
  • Complete the Alegeus Technologies acquisition and integrate it into Optum Financial Services.
  • Continue share repurchases, targeting $2bn by end of Q2.

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Earnings History

Estimate Beat Miss Match
UNH EPS earnings history estimate and actual scatter chart 9 reported fiscal quarters and 4 future estimate-only quarters. Q4 '23 estimate $5.98 Q4 '23 actual $6.16, beat Q1 '24 estimate $6.61 Q1 '24 actual $6.91, beat Q2 '24 estimate $6.65 Q2 '24 actual $6.80, beat Q3 '24 estimate $7.01 Q3 '24 actual $7.15, beat Q2 '25 estimate $4.45 Q2 '25 actual $4.08, miss Q3 '25 estimate $2.80 Q3 '25 actual $2.92, beat Q4 '25 estimate $2.10 Q4 '25 actual $2.11, match Q1 '26 estimate $6.46 Q1 '26 actual $7.23, beat Q2 '26 estimate $4.94 Q2 '26 actual $6.38, beat Q3 '26 estimate $4.12 Q4 '26 estimate $2.13 Q1 '27 estimate $8.14 Q2 '27 estimate $6.96
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Analyst Consensus ?

ConsensusBuy52 ratings
Bullish4382.7%
Neutral713.5%
Bearish23.8%

Analyst 52W Price Targets

$378.31Current
$198Low
$489.47Average
$650High

Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Sep 25, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.

Firm-level rating actions

FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.

FirmRatingPrior ratingActionDate
Mizuho Outperform OutperformMaintainJul 21, 2026
JP Morgan Overweight OverweightMaintainJul 21, 2026
Barclays Overweight OverweightMaintainJul 20, 2026
UBS Buy BuyMaintainJul 17, 2026
Truist Securities Buy BuyMaintainJul 17, 2026
Show 47 more rating actions

Named analyst price targets

Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $378.31. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.

FirmAnalyst52W targetPrice when postedUpsideDate
D.A. DavidsonAnalyst unavailable$512$430.92 +35.3%Jul 21, 2026
Mizuho SecuritiesAnn Hynes$493$421.55 +30.3%Jul 20, 2026
Wells FargoStephen Baxter$526$426.09 +39.0%Jul 20, 2026
BarclaysAnalyst unavailable$441$426.09 +16.6%Jul 20, 2026
Truist FinancialDavid MacDonald$500$429.39 +32.2%Jul 17, 2026
See 125 more

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Company context

Snapshot as of publication

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) operates as a comprehensive healthcare enterprise across the United States, structuring its diverse services into four key divisions: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment provides a wide array of health benefit plans and consumer-focused services. These offerings cater to a broad spectrum of clients, including large national corporations, public sector employers, mid-sized and small businesses, and individual consumers. It also delivers specialized health coverage and wellness programs tailored for individuals aged 50 and older, addressing their needs for preventive and acute care, chronic disease management, and other age-specific health issues. This division further encompasses Medicaid plans, children's health insurance, dental benefits, and various hospital and clinical services. Optum Health focuses on delivering direct healthcare solutions and management services.…

Historical context

All UNH earnings

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Latest beats and misses

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Sources

  1. Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
  2. FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-07-26T00:37:12.209961+00:00
  3. Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-09-25T14:41:14.875039+00:00
  4. Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-09-25T14:41:14.872228+00:00

Methodology

Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.

Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.

Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.

By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-09-25. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.