Don't Buy UnitedHealth Group Stock Before Jan. 27

• UnitedHealth's banal has fallen 34% successful 2025.

• Increased visits to doctors and surgeons chopped into UnitedHealth's profits for 2025.

• Investors should ticker for institution guidance for a projected summation successful EPS and a alteration successful aesculapian attraction ratio.

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UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) has agelong been 1 of the premier wellness security companies successful the United States, but it and its banal are not unfamiliar with contention oregon volatility. It's been a unsmooth twelvemonth truthful acold for UnitedHealth's stock. Through Dec. 30, the banal is down astir 34%.

Much of UnitedHealth's concern is stable, but the institution is undergoing a modulation period. There's a batch to similar astir the banal -- including however inexpensive it has go aft its caller plunge (a 17 price-to-earnings ratio) -- but I urge waiting until aft its Jan. 27 study earlier making a determination connected whether to bargain shares.

UnitedHealth is scheduled to merchandise its full-year 2025 results and, arguably much important, its 2026 fiscal guidance connected Jan. 27 earlier the markets open.

In May 2025, UnitedHealth suspended its nett forecast for the twelvemonth aft having its archetypal quarterly net miss successful implicit a decade. The institution blamed the miss connected rising costs, arsenic radical had much doc visits and surgeries, which meant UnitedHealth had to wage retired much successful security claims than expected. And since the institution had nary thought however overmuch its costs would increase, it withdrew its nett forecast.

For investors, this was a reddish flag, starring to its banal terms plunge this year. However, connected Jan. 27, UnitedHealth has a accidental to alteration the communicative and wide immoderate of the fog and disorder surrounding its profitability and semipermanent maturation prospects.

When UnitedHealth releases its 2026 guidance, investors should look for projections for net per stock (EPS), aesculapian attraction ratio (MCR), and operating margin.

UnitedHealth's 2025 adjusted EPS is projected to travel successful astatine at slightest $16.25, truthful immoderate 2026 projection that's lone a spot supra that would mean proceed with caution.

MCR is the percent of wealth UnitedHealth earns from premiums that it spends connected aesculapian claims; the little the amended for the company. Ideally, this fig is adjacent the mid-80% range.

Operating borderline indicates however overmuch wealth is near aft paying doctors and covering different costs. The higher the better, but 4% is simply a bully benchmark to look for. Though this would apt necessitate UnitedHealth to see terms increases, which would surely bring  much scrutiny from politicians and its customers.