On September 3, a caller asked if UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has enough profitable growth that they should consider adding it to their portfolio. Mad Money host Jim Cramer replied:
Yes, the answer: it does, it does. You know, I've got to tell you, I thought that last quarter was very, very good. The stock market did not like the quarter as much as I thought it would, but the stock's making a stand here. I think that UNH is good to buy.
Cramer's bullish stance rests on the core strength of the company's financial delivery and improving execution. In its second-quarter 2026 report, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) posted consolidated revenues of $112 billion and operating earnings of $8 billion. Adjusted diluted earnings per share reached $6.38, outpacing Wall Street expectations by $1.48. Driven by strong performance across both the UnitedHealthcare and Optum divisions, management raised its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to a range of $19.50 to $20. Furthermore, the medical care ratio improved to 86.7% down from 89.4% a year prior, showing that medical cost trends and pricing are aligning effectively.
On the other hand, Wall Street remains cautious about lingering cost pressures across the managed care landscape. Even though the medical care ratio improved compared to last year, patients continuing to utilize medical services at a high rate keeps expenses heavy. At the same time, commercial insurance margins are taking longer to bounce back. Adding in tighter payment adjustments for government-backed plans along with heavy spending on tech infrastructure, cautious investors could have reasons to wait rather than chasing the stock higher.
Insider Monkey's data tracking over 1000 hedge funds shows accumulation by major ****** et managers. 143 hedge funds had positions in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in Q2 compared to 130 in Q1. Of those funds, Fisher ****** et Management was the top shareholder with nearly 9.1 million shares. The firm increased its position in the stock by 74% in the quarter. Additionally, short interest remains low, with the short percentage of the float sitting at 1.92%, showing a general lack of aggressive bearish bets against the stock.

#unitedhealth #funds

Eagle Capital Management, an investment management company, released its second quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the quarter, Eagle Capital Management discussed how enthusiasm around AI capital spending has driven strong S&P 500 earnings growth while also increasing risks from elevated valuations, concentrated demand, and aggressive investment ******* umptions. Eagle remains a strong believer in AI but prefers constructing a portfolio that can perform across multiple outcomes rather than relying on one forecast. The firm believes current earnings can overstate underlying economics because semiconductor equipment is depreciated over several years, while free cash flow growth remains much weaker. It also expects competition and additional capacity across AI labs, hyperscalers, and semiconductors to eventually create winners and losers. These dynamics are encouraging Eagle to recycle capital toward attractive opportunities outside the most crowded AI trades while maintaining selective exposure to high quality beneficiaries. The portfolio trades at a 20% market discount with faster expected EPS growth. Please review the Strategy's top five holdings for key selections.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Eagle Capital Management highlighted UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH). UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH), a diversified healthcare company, contributed 2.5% to the Fund's performance during the quarter. On September 02, 2026, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) closed at $399.66 per share. Over the past month UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) was down 1.07%, and its shares gained 28.76% over the past 52 weeks. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has a market capitalization of $358.73 billion and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $255.97 - $461.62.
Eagle Capital Management stated the following regarding UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Managed care (13% of capital): UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH), Humana, Elevance: These managed care companies have significant scale advantages in a consolidated industry that outgrows the overall economy. The industry moves with its own cycle and, over the last several years, has faced cost/price pressures in Medicare Advantage and Medicaid. Even the largest firms are earning poor margins, and some weaker firms are unprofitable. We believe conditions have bottomed out and that we are transitioning to a multi-year improvement in margins and earnings. Al-driven technology projects can both reduce costs and improve service quality. Since returning as CEO at UnitedHealth last year, Stephen Hemsley and the management team have been correcting some of the company's missteps. Recent results provide growing evidence that the turnaround is well on track. We expect EPS growth of 15-20% over the next several years, driven by moderate revenue growth and significantly e

Eagle Capital Management, an investment management company, released its second quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the quarter, Eagle Capital Management discussed how enthusiasm around AI capital spending has driven strong S&P 500 earnings growth while also increasing risks from elevated valuations, concentrated demand, and aggressive investment ***** umptions. Eagle remains a strong believer in AI but prefers constructing a portfolio that can perform across multiple outcomes rather than relying on one forecast. The firm believes current earnings can overstate underlying economics because semiconductor equipment is depreciated over several years, while free cash flow growth remains much weaker. It also expects competition and additional capacity across AI labs, hyperscalers, and semiconductors to eventually create winners and losers. These dynamics are encouraging Eagle to recycle capital toward attractive opportunities outside the most crowded AI trades while maintaining selective exposure to high-quality beneficiaries. The portfolio trades at a 20% market discount with faster expected EPS growth. Please review the Strategy's top five holdings for key selections in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Eagle Capital Management highlighted Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM). Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) is an American insurance company that provides medical and specialty insurance products. On September 02, 2026, Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) closed at $400.97 per share. Over the past month, Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) returned 9.18%, and its shares gained 28.52% over the past 52 weeks. Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) has a market capitalization of $48.15 billion with a 52-week trading range between $163.11 and $428.88.
Eagle Capital Management stated the following regarding Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Managed care (13% of capital): UnitedHealth Group, Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM), Elevance: These managed care companies have significant scale advantages in a consolidated industry that outgrows the overall economy. The industry moves with its own cycle and, over the last several years, has faced cost/price pressures in Medicare Advantage and Medicaid. Even the largest firms are earning poor margins, and some weaker firms are unprofitable. We believe conditions have bottomed out and that we are transitioning to a multi-year improvement in margins and earnings. Al-driven technology projects can both reduce costs and improve service quality. Humana is also making good strides, and we expect significantly improved Star ratings for the company later this year. We expect EPS growth of 15-20% over the next several years, driven by moderate revenue growth and significantly expanding margins."

#eagle

Sept 1 (Reuters) - UnitedHealth's insurance unit said on Tuesday that a broad range of conditions will no ‌longer need prior approval, effective October 1, as ‌it aims to eliminate prior authorization for 30% of healthcare services by the end of this year.
Here are the details:
• The reduction spans a broad mix of services across multiple clinical specialties, including cardiology, genetic and laboratory testing, chiropractic care, physical, occupational ‌and speech therapy, orthopedic ⁠and musculoskeletal procedures, among others.
• The prior authorization requirements are being eliminated across its commercial ⁠plans, Medicare Advantage for older adults and individual insurance under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and some other types of plans.
• Health insurers have been taking measures to ‌simplify their requirements for prior authorization on medicines and medical services after complaints from patients and doctors over excessive paperwork that can delay or even deny needed care.

#prior

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) recently announced a major expansion of its child and family behavioral coaching program, extending access to 13 million commercial members. First launched in 2023, the program targets low-severity needs like mild anxiety, ADHD, and sleep issues through virtual sessions and 24/7 support. The move adds 5 million individuals at no cost to employers, reflecting a broader effort to catch mental health concerns early before they escalate into high-cost medical claims.
This expansion highlights an essential question: Is UnitedHealth's shift toward early clinical intervention and margin management enough to offset persistent cost inflation and Medicare Advantage headwinds?
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) delivered a strong Q2 2026 performance, beating expectations on both revenue and earnings as cost refinement and operational discipline supported profitability. Consolidated revenue reached $112.03 billion, exceeding the $110.85 billion ******* yst consensus, while adjusted EPS surged to $6.38, comfortably above the $4.90 estimate and up from $4.08 in the prior-year period. Net income totaled $5.48 billion, or $6.04 per share.
The company's medical benefit ratio (MCR) also improved significantly to 86.7% from 89.4% in Q2 2025, beating the 88.5% Wall Street estimate and indicating stronger premium capture relative to medical costs. Management also raised its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $19.50–$20.00 from more than $18.25 while maintaining its revenue target above $439 billion.
Bulls highlight UnitedHealth's powerful multi-segment scale across insurance and Optum services. The deployment of $1.5 billion into artificial intelligence is already streamlining prior authorizations and mitigating fraud, waste, and abuse. Furthermore, Optum's reach into care delivery and pharmacy services diversifies revenue beyond traditional underwriting. Robust cash generation continues to support shareholder return, reinforced by expanded full-year profit targets.

#billion #cost #medical #NYSE

I think David Tepper made a mistake selling UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), and not a small mistake either. When I look at what this company is doing and where healthcare is headed, I would rather buy the stock than walk away.
For context, here's what happened: Tepper is a billionaire hedge fund manager, the founder and president of Appaloosa Management. Tepper didn't trim his stake in UnitedHealth. He sold every share, about 90,000 in total, refocusing his portfolio toward artificial intelligence (AI) with purchases of Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), Micron (NASDAQ: MU), and Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE: TSM), which now account for nearly 40% of his fund. That tells me his move was about concentrating on a narrower theme, not about UnitedHealth losing its edge. In earlier filings, UnitedHealth ranked among his top positions, accounting for more than 10% of the portfolio, indicating he once saw it as a core holding.
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So what changed? The obvious worry is medical cost pressure, especially from GLP‑1 weight loss drugs and broader inflation in care. UnitedHealth's Q2 2026 numbers show medical costs of $75.36 billion and a medical care ratio of 86.7%, down from 89.4% a year earlier but still above the mid-80s range the company had framed as its target (lower is better). Some investors see that as a sign that margins will stay under pressure and that insurers will never fully catch up to medical care's rising cost curve. Tepper may have decided that the headache was not worth the trouble.
When I dig into the details, I see something different. UnitedHealth is not sitting still and hoping costs fall. It's reshaping how care is delivered across its UnitedHealthcare insurance arm and Optum pharmacy management services. On GLP‑1 drugs, the company has drawn a clear line, covering them for diabetes and cardiovascular risk under tight medical necessity rules and restricting coverage for weight loss alone. It has launched programs like Total Weight Support to combine medication with coaching and digital tools, which gives it a way to manage outcomes rather than paying for pills without structure. That kind of strategy matters when drug costs can top $1,000 per member each month.

#medical #costs

Paulette Thompson, wife of late UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, came face to face with Luigi Mangione on Friday when he pleaded guilty to federal charges ******* ociated with the ******* assination of her husband.
She was seen exiting the courthouse on Friday after Mangione made his guilty plea. Mangione, the man who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges on Friday in a Manhattan courthouse.
When asked by Judge Margaret Garnett if Mangione understood the maximum sentence he could receive is life in prison, Mangione responded, "Yes."
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Paulette Thompson, widow of slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is seen leaving Manhattan Criminal Court after Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty in the federal case tied to her husband's killing.

#mangione #thompson

Medicare Advantage plans are shrinking.
Last month, Humana (HUM) announced that it will exit some Medicare Advantage plans for next year, forcing more than half a million seniors to find a new health plan.
The reason for the coverage cutback: high costs and slimmer profit margins in certain markets, according to Humana CFO Celeste Mellet.
It's the second year in a row of plan downsizing for Humana. This year, the company exited three states and 194 counties, affecting around 500,000 members. UnitedHealthcare (UNH) also jettisoned Medicare Advantage plans that served more than 600,000 seniors.
According to KFF research, the percentage of Medicare Advantage enrollees who faced terminated plans this year reached 60% or higher in Wyoming, South Dakota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Vermont.

#according

Management had named the plan exits, the Medicare margin target and the repricing date before the run began.
UnitedHealth (UNH) Group stock has climbed 65% over the past year, against 22.5% for the S&P 500, 50.6% for peer CVS and 2.4% for peer CI. The easy reading is that a difficult stretch simply ended across managed care. The operating change behind UnitedHealth's own earnings step was more specific, and management had described it, with numbers and a date attached, before the run began.
The Plan Exits Management Named A Year Ago
In late July 2025, before the run began, management said it would exit Medicare Advantage plans then serving over 600,000 members, primarily in less managed products such as PPO offerings. The company was also shifting to narrower networks in Medicare Advantage. Those are not forecasts but operating decisions with a date on them, and they meant 2026 earnings would come from a smaller Medicare book, not a bigger one.
The Margin Target And The Repricing Date Were Public Too

#date #named #Margin

Baron Capital, an investment management company, released its Q2 2026 investor letter for the "Baron Health Care Fund". A copy of the letter is available to download here. The Fund gained 11.99% during the quarter, compared with the 10.48% gain for the Russell 3000 Health Care Index and the 15.44% gain for the Russell 3000 Index. Since inception, the Fund appreciated 10.61% on an annualized basis, compared with 10.02% for the Benchmark and 14.83% for the Index. Strong stock selection in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, health care equipment, and life sciences tools and services supported the Fund's outperformance, although limited exposure to managed care stocks reduced relative returns. The Fund remains positive on health care due to improving biotechnology funding, strong acquisition activity, recovering managed care margins, and growth from an aging population, chronic disease, medical innovation, and higher health care spending. In addition, please check the Fund's top five holdings to know the best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Baron Health Care Fund highlighted Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV). The fund re-established a position in Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV), a US-based health benefits company, during the quarter. On August 03, 2026, Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV) closed at $382.77 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $81.54 billion. Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV) posted a one-month return of -8.61%, while its shares gained 38.48% over the past 52 weeks.
Baron Health Care Fund stated the following regarding Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"We re-established positions in two previously owned managed care companies, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Elevance Health, Inc. Both companies manage diversified portfolios, providing insurance and health care services to Commercial, Exchange, Medicaid and Medicare Advantage members. We believe that the insurance cycle is turning more favorable for these companies, particularly in their Medicare Advantage businesses. After several years of elevated utilization trends, inadequate reimbursement, and regulatory challenges coupled with aggressive pricing to drive share gains, which drove operating margins to depressed levels, UnitedHealth and Elevance have exited unprofitable Medicare Advantage markets and products, right-sized benefits, and are now in the process of rebuilding profitability. We further think that the application of AI will enable them to take a significant bite out of administrative costs as well. Finally, we believe that the earnings power of both companies is well above current levels ******* uming they can approach their longterm target margins over the next few years. If we further ******* ume a reasonable multiple on future earnings power, we believe there is substantial upside in both stocks."

#care #baron

July 29 (Reuters) - Humana on Wednesday beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter earnings as the ‌health insurer's spend on medical services was in ‌line with expectations, but it left its annual adjusted profit forecast unchanged.
Shares of the company were down about 9% in premarket trading.
Humana is one of the largest providers of Medicare Advantage plans serving people aged 65 and ‌older as well ⁠as people with disabilities.
Investors have been raising their expectations for insurers, after others ⁠including larger peer UnitedHealth raised its outlook and have done a better job at controlling costs.
Once a key source of profit growth for insurers, these privately managed Medicare ‌Advantage plans have come under pressure from rising medical costs for three years as well as tighter reimbursement rates, leading some insurers to scale back or exit underperforming markets.

#humana

UnitedHealth's stock is flying high after it raised guidance, but on its latest earnings call, ***** ysts zeroed in on an underlying margin divergence running right through the business.
After a +50% run over the past year, UnitedHealth (UNH) stock trades near its 52-week high, and on the surface, its latest earnings report was a clean beat. The company raised its full-year outlook, and the headline numbers looked strong. But the Q&A session with ***** ysts kept circling one critical tension: is the impressive turnaround in the large Medicare business strong enough to offset a new, worsening problem in the company's commercial insurance segment?
The core worry for investors is that stubbornly high medical costs in the commercial business are getting worse. On the call, management confirmed that cost trends are running "modestly above 11%," a deterioration from prior expectations. This is not a small corner of the business; if its margins cannot recover, it puts a real ceiling on the company's growth.
When pressed for the cause, management gave a surprisingly specific answer. The answer went beyond general inflation, pinpointing a federal arbitration process under the No Surprises Act that management ***** erts is being leveraged aggressively by select provider groups. This is now adding "at least 100 basis points of total cost" to the commercial business. The issue is highly concentrated, and according to data cited by management, roughly 60% of their arbitration disputes are brought by one of just five entities. The response quantified the problem, but the admission that came with it was stark: the timeline for a full margin recovery in this segment has been pushed out "past 2027." That is a concrete delay to a key part of the investment case.
While the commercial segment is a growing headache, the equally large Medicare Advantage business is performing better than planned. The key question here was whether this was just good luck from a mild flu season or the result of management's own actions. The answer was more confident than vague.

#management

You probably own a lot more of this one high-flying health insurer than you realize, tucked away inside your favorite funds.
Even if you feel diversified, a single stock can quietly become a concentrated position inside the funds you own. UnitedHealth (UNH), a health insurance and services giant, now trades about 25% above its 200-day moving average, a sign of a powerful run-up that has likely pulled your portfolio along with it, whether you chose to buy the stock or not.
A stock running far ahead of its own long-term trend is worth a closer look. Over the past year, the stock has returned +50%, with much of that coming in the last three months, which saw a +31% gain. Investors are paying for that performance. The stock trades at about 22 times its expected earnings for the year ahead, pricing in expectations that profits will continue to grow. The question for a fund investor is how much of this single company's story you now own indirectly.
UnitedHealth is a popular holding, found across 52 of the equity funds in our universe. But the concentration varies widely. The iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF (IHF) holds UNH at about 22% of the fund. That heavy weight helped power its +31% return over the past year. The exposure is common even in broader funds. The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) holds it at about 6.6% of the fund, and the Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) holds it at about 5.6%. Even dividend-focused funds like the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) have a meaningful position, holding UNH at about 4.4% of the fund.
This concentration cuts both ways. Let's run a simple scenario, not a forecast: if UNH simply reverted to its 200-day average, it would drop about 20% from here. For the heavily concentrated iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF (IHF), that one stock's move would erase about 4.3% from the entire fund's value. For the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV), the drag would be about 1.3%. For the Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT), it would be about 1.1%.

#year

Second quarter earnings continued to roll in, with leading chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) reporting strong results that pointed to robust AI demand. UnitedHealth Group (UNH), GE Aerospace (GE), and Netflix (NFLX) also report on Thursday, rounding out the earnings mix.
The week started with a wave of bank earnings that showed broad-based strength, driven by Wall Street trading activity. "It's getting close to as good as it gets," JPMorgan (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon said about current banking conditions after the country's largest bank reported its biggest quarterly profit on record on Tuesday.
It was a good start to what's expected to be a strong earnings season for the S&P 500 (^GSPC). According to FactSet data, **** ysts estimate the year-over-year S&P 500 earnings growth rate for the second quarter will be 23.3% — above the five-year average of 16.4% and the 10-year average of 10.3%.
If that holds, it will mark the second consecutive earnings growth rate above 20% for the index and the seventh straight quarter of double-digit growth.
Also reporting earnings this week were ASML Holding N.V. (ASML), Morgan Stanley (MS), BlackRock (BLK), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and United Airlines Holdings (UAL).

US stocks tumbled on Thursday as investors took stock of the AI boom and key earnings reports, while an escalation in the US-Iran war continued to weigh.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) reversed gains, falling 0.2%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) lost 0.5%. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) declined by 1.5% as chip stocks came under pressure for a second day.
Shares of Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) sank more than 4% after Bloomberg reported the tech giant was behind schedule on the delivery of Gemini 3.5 Pro, its most powerful AI model.
Semiconductor stocks continued to slide after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSM) robust earnings failed to impress markets, which have cycled through risk-on and risk-off sentiment amid investor scrutiny of high valuations. AI memory stocks, including SanDisk (SNDK) and Western Digital Corporation (WDC), were among the hardest hit.
In other earnings updates, UnitedHealth Group (UNH) reported a Q2 earnings beat before the bell, as did GE Aerospace (GE), while Netflix's (NFLX) second quarter report highlights the earnings calendar after the close.

Health insurance shares moved sharply lower in premarket trading after Elevance Health's (NYSE:ELV) latest quarterly results revealed continued pressure on margins within its core Health Benefits business, raising concerns that similar challenges could affect the wider managed-care sector.
Although Elevance reported second-quarter earnings and revenue that comfortably exceeded ******* ysts' expectations, investors focused on the deterioration in profitability.
The company's adjusted operating margin declined to 3.6% from 5.0% a year earlier, sending Elevance shares down 6.7% in premarket trading.
The Health Benefits division, Elevance's largest business, recorded a sharp drop in operating profit as lower Medicaid reimbursement rates and ongoing changes to its Medicare Advantage portfolio weighed on margins.
The results triggered broad selling across the health insurance industry ahead of UnitedHealth Group's (NYSE:UNH) own quarterly earnings release.

Magellan Investment Partners, an Australian investment management company, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter for "Magellan Global Opportunities Fund". A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The Fund invests in companies with sustainable competitive advantages that generate returns exceeding their cost of capital over time. In Q2, the global stock market rose 13.8%, reversing the stagflation narrative, with energy prices declining after US–Iran tensions eased. Focus shifted to chip stocks and data centre beneficiaries. Regionally, markets' performance reflected the tech rebound and energy decline. Macro backdrop improved in the quarter with relief from avoiding a severe energy shock, though growth and inflation concerns kept central banks cautious. The portfolio gained 4.3% in the quarter, lagging the 12.5% benchmark rise, driven by bubble-like conditions in semiconductors and data centre supply chains. For insights into their key selections for 2026, please review the Strategy's top five holdings.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Magellan Global Opportunities Fund highlighted Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) as a top contributor to performance. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) is the world's leading contract chip manufacturer, producing advanced semiconductors for major global technology companies. On July 15, 2026, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) closed at $419.48 per share. One-month return of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) was -9.23%, and its shares gained 70.80% over the past 52 weeks. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) has a market capitalization of $2.18 trillion.
Magellan Global Opportunities Fund stated the following regarding Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
"The largest contributors to the portfolio's performance over the quarter were Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM), UnitedHealth Group and Adidas. TSMC is a beneficiary of both AI chip investment and the data centre expansion cycle. In response to strong AI chip demand, TSMC raised its 5-year revenue growth CAGR by 5 points to 25% pa. While the growth will be supported by a large step up in FY26 capex (benefiting semi cap vendors like ASML), TSMC also raised its long-term gross margin guidance, signalling confidence in its ability to drive productivity, cost efficiencies and pricing power."

Second quarter earnings continued to roll in, with leading chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) reporting strong results that pointed to robust AI demand. UnitedHealth Group (UNH), GE Aerospace (GE), and Netflix (NFLX) also report on Thursday, rounding out the earnings mix.
The week started with a wave of bank earnings that showed broad-based strength, driven by Wall Street trading activity. "It's getting close to as good as it gets," JPMorgan (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon said about current banking conditions after the country's largest bank reported its biggest quarterly profit on record on Tuesday.
It was a good start to what's expected to be a strong earnings season for the S&P 500 (^GSPC). According to FactSet data, **** ysts estimate the year-over-year S&P 500 earnings growth rate for the second quarter will be 23.3% — above the five-year average of 16.4% and the 10-year average of 10.3%.
If that holds, it will mark the second consecutive earnings growth rate above 20% for the index and the seventh straight quarter of double-digit growth.
Also reporting earnings this week were ASML Holding N.V. (ASML), Morgan Stanley (MS), BlackRock (BLK), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and United Airlines Holdings (UAL).

Dow Jones futures edged higher early Thursday, while S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures fell amid continued weakness in chips and AI hardware. Nvidia chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor, GE Aerospace, UnitedHealth, J.B. Hunt Transport Services and United Airlines were big earnings movers before the open.
The stock market rally saw modest rises for the major indexes Wednesday, as strong gains in Apple (AAPL), Google-parent Alphabet (GOOGL) and other megacap techs helped mask a bad day for chips and AI hardware.
Dell Technologies (DELL) sold off Wednesday, along with memory plays Sandisk (SNDK), Micron Technology (MU), SK Hynix (SKHY), Western Digital (WDC) and Seagate Technology (STX). Those names and other AI plays saw further losses early Thursday.
SpaceX (SPCX) briefly fell below its $135 IPO price for the first time.
Micron and ASML are on the IBD 50. Dell stock is on the IBD Big Cap 20. Micron stock is on IBD Sector Leaders. SK Hynix stock is on IPO Leaders. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) and Google stock are on the IBD Long-Term Leaders watchlist.

US stocks wavered on Thursday as investors took stock of the AI boom and awaited key earnings reports, while an escalation in the US-Iran war continued to weigh.
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) rose 0.2%, while S&P 500 (ES=F) futures fell 0.2%. Contracts for the Nasdaq-100 (NQ=F) declined by 0.7% as chip stocks came under pressure for a second day.
Semiconductor stocks continued to slide after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSM) robust earnings failed to impress markets that have cycled through risk-on and risk-off sentiment as investors scrutinize high valuations. TSMC reported record second quarter revenue and lifted its capex spending outlook for the year, but the stock fell in premarket trading after the company warned of higher prices.
UnitedHealth Group (UNH) also reported a Q2 earnings beat, as did GE Aerospace (GE) before the opening bell, while Netflix's (NFLX) second quarter report highlights the earnings calendar after the close.
Investors, meanwhile, continue to monitor oil's movement through the Strait of Hormuz after the US launched its latest wave of airstrikes on Iran on Wednesday. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Trump was briefed by aides on options to expand the conflict, including by increasing bombing and deploying ground forces.

Coming off a relatively staid past week in the markets, investors step into a packed five-day stretch as second quarter earnings kick off in force, with a healthy selection of economic data releases on the calendar to boot.
S&P 500 (^GSPC) closed out Friday up 0.4% for a gain of 1.2% on the week. The Dow gained 0.3% on Friday but still closed the week on a loss of 0.5%. The Nasdaq picked up 0.3% on Friday to close the week up 1.7%.
After a slow trickle of mostly minor earnings reports throughout the last month, the big banks unofficially kick off the earnings season this week.
JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Goldman Sachs (GS), Bank of America (BAC), Wells Fargo (WFC), and Citibank (C) all report on Tuesday, followed by Morgan Stanley (MS) and fellow financial services giant BlackRock (BLK) on Wednesday.
Other names to watch include pharmaceutical leader Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), industrial giant Kinder Morgan (KMI), and airline leader United Airlines (UAL) on Wednesday, followed by AI bellwether Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM), tech bastion Netflix (NFLX), and healthcare leader UnitedHealth (UNH) on Thursday.

Dow Jones futures will open Sunday evening, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures. Taiwan Semiconductor, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, GE Aerospace headline the first big earnings week. Key inflation reports and Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh also are on tap.
The stock market had a mixed but generally positive week, even as oil prices rebounded. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq had strong gains while the Dow Jones edged lower, but right at all-time highs.
Cisco Systems (CSCO), Robinhood Markets (HOOD), Sandisk (SNDK), Micron Technology (MU) and Nvidia (NVDA) are stocks around buy areas. Meanwhile, ******* e Exploration Technologies (SPCX), better known as ******* eX, hit a new low.
Nvidia chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) and ASML (ASML) kick off chip earnings, while Goldman Sachs (GS), Morgan Stanley (MS), JPMorgan Chase (JPM) lead a slew of big banks. GE Aerospace (GE), UnitedHealth (UNH), J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT), United Airlines (UAL) and American Airlines (AAL) also are ahead. All are setting up in various fashions.
On Tuesday, investors will get the June CPI inflation report, with PPI inflation on Wednesday. Fed chief Warsh will testify before Congress on those two days.

Last year, UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) faced a series of headwinds that weighed on the stock, dragging it down 34%. The biggest U.S. health insurer saw earnings suffer as it underestimated the cost and use of services, and the company unexpectedly lost its chief executive officer. Investors also grew more cautious as the Justice Department launched a probe into the insurer's Medicare Advantage operations.
But, UnitedHealth launched a series of steps to turn things around, and the plan is bearing fruit. Longtime CEO Stephen Hemsley returned to the leadership role, the company completed an independent audit of its practices and put into place new actions where needed, and earnings are improving. As a result, investors have returned to the stock. It climbed 25% in the first half, for the biggest gain by a mega-cap healthcare stock in the S&P 500.
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Is it now too late to buy UnitedHealth stock? Let's find out.
First, let's take a look back at the path of UnitedHealth over the past year. As mentioned, the company faced several challenges. And the biggest may have been the earnings situation. UnitedHealth underestimated the utilization levels of healthcare amid an environment of rising costs, and these factors hurt growth.

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) has long been one of the biggest names in the health insurance and managed care sector, wearing many hats through its insurance operations and fast-growing healthcare services arm. For years, it was the kind of stock investors could simply buy and let time do the heavy lifting. Then the tide turned. The past couple of years threw more than a few curveballs, with a sharp rise in Medicare Advantage costs and mounting pressure dragging the shares lower. Although the stock has staged an encouraging comeback in 2026, many investors are still waiting to see if this turnaround has real legs.
That's why July 16 deserves a big circle on the calendar. UnitedHealth is set to report its second-quarter earnings before the market opens, and Wall Street will be watching closely for signs that the recovery is staying on track.
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The company heads into the release with the wind at its back. In the first quarter, it topped Wall Street's expectations, improved its medical care ratio to 83.9%, raised its full-year earnings guidance, and expressed confidence that its efforts to simplify operations and strengthen execution are beginning to pay off.
With optimism building ahead of the earnings release, let's take a closer look at whether UNH stock still has room to run.

Tech companies don't necessarily have to be high-flying to be worth owning. For example, companies like Cisco and Oracle may not get the same attention as newer AI names, but both are still important in today's AI-driven economy. As businesses spend more on networks, cloud, data, and security, these two companies still have products that matter.
For dividend investors, that makes the comparison that much more interesting. Both Cisco and Oracle offer tech exposure, steady cash returns, and a long record of dividend growth.
Dear UnitedHealth Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for July 16
Markets move fast. Keep up by reading our FREE midday Barchart Brief newsletter for exclusive charts, ***** ysis, and headlines.
So, which one looks like the better dividend tech stock today? Let's take a closer look.

We recently published David Tepper Stock Portfolio: 10 Long-Term Stock Picks. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) is one of the long-term stock picks.
David Tepper's Appaloosa Management has held a stake in health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)'s shares since the fourth quarter of 2010. It held the shares until the second quarter of 2011. Then, the fund disclosed 300,000 shares for its Q1 2017 holdings. Since then, it has continuously held UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)'s shares. The holdings peaked during Q2 2025 when it held 2.4 million shares, which were worth $764 million. Since then, they have dropped, and the latest stake is worth $24.3 million.
Investment bank JPMorgan discussed UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)'s shares on June 8th. It raised the share price target to $466 from $420 and kept an Overweight rating on the stock. The coverage came as part of the bank's update of its healthcare services models, which included a higher valuation.
SGA Global Growth Strategy discussed UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:
"Our position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) was based on our view that the company would deliver durable growth due to its ability to manage the rising healthcare costs given its scale advantages. We viewed the business as having strong pricing power given its vertical integration with Optum, which gave them good tools to manage medical costs, as well as the ability to raise premiums annually. The privatization of government-funded senior health plans, Medicare Advantage, provided a growth opportunity. Over 2025 the stock suffered due to execution missteps which were exacerbated by government payment cuts to Medicare Advantage programs which were initiated under the Biden administration. Despite these issues we held on to the position under the expectation that they would be able to re-price their health insurance policies in the following year, and that execution would improve with the return of Stephen Hemsley as CEO. We had also thought that a change in administration would be beneficial for the company given Republican's historical support of Medicare privatization. However, when the CMS released their preliminary rate for 2027 this quarter of just 0.1%, we, and the market, were disappointed. While the final rate has since been revised higher to 2.5%, this is still below the mid-single digit rate expectations and cost inflation trends. Additionally, in the latest communication, while the company was able to re-price most of its insurance businesses, the greater than expected membership losses as well as the slower profitability improvement at Optum were disappointing, indicating a more mature Medicare Advantage market and increased competition. Given these developments we decided to exit the position and re-allocate the capital into higher conviction growth opportunities. The company has since been removed from th

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Qualities to look for include stable business demand and reliable dividends.
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Clover Health Investments, Corp. (NASDAQ:CLOV) was among the stocks on Jim Cramer's radar on Mad Money, as he advised investors to care about where a stock is going, not where it has been. A caller referenced Cramer's previous comment, calling it speculative, and noted that the company reported GAAP profitability in Q1 2026 and guided for full-year profitability. Cramer replied:
No, that was good. And you could say that I was not bullish enough about it. But see, I'm focused on how great UnitedHealth is and how great CVS is. But yeah, as a spec, that one was right, that one was right, but I like mine for the long haul.
A stock market data. Photo by AlphaTradeZone on Pexels
Clover Health Investments, Corp. (NASDAQ:CLOV) offers preferred provider organization and health maintenance organization Medicare Advantage plans to eligible individuals. The company also provides physicians with a software platform, Clover **** istant, to support the detection, identification, and management of chronic diseases. A caller asked about the company's stock during the May 29 episode, and Cramer responded:
Well, it's good, but remember, the quarter wasn't good, the quarter was not good. So you're in pure spec mode there. The revenues were okay, but the earnings were not there. So take it with a grain of salt that it's moved up because it was not a great quarter.

NEW YORK (AP) — A hearing in Luigi Mangione 's state murder case in the killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was postponed until Wednesday after prosecutors failed to inform his jailors that he was needed in court.
Judge Gregory Carro had scheduled the hearing for Tuesday but adjourned it about a half-hour after it was supposed to start when ******* istant District Attorney Joel Seidemann told him that prosecutors had failed to send required paperwork to the jail.
"It's on us," Seidemann said. "We got the writ signed but we failed to serve it."
"That's unfortunate," Carro replied.
Seidemann noted that the judge in Mangione's federal case, Margaret Garnett, had sent an order to the jail authorizing him to wear a suit to court, but the prosecutor acknowledged that alone wasn't enough to get him brought to court.

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) is one of the
7 Best Longevity Stocks to Buy Now.
On June 8, 2026, JPMorgan raised the firm’s price target on UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) to $466 from $420 and maintained an Overweight rating on the shares. JPMorgan updated its healthcare service models.
On the same day, Mizuho raised the firm’s price target on UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) to $460 from $440 and maintained an Outperform rating on the shares. Mizuho said the managed care sector is entering a “more stable and predictable” policy environment, with policy-related surprises likely to moderate from the elevated levels of the past three years. The firm said this should let investors focus on company fundamentals, pricing recovery, and embedded earnings power.
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