As you might know, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) recently reported its quarterly numbers. UnitedHealth Group reported in line with analyst predictions, delivering revenues of US$101b and statutory earnings per share of US$6.51, suggesting the business is executing well and in line with its plan. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what experts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. Readers will be glad to know we've aggregated the latest statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their mind on UnitedHealth Group after the latest results.

Following the latest results, UnitedHealth Group's 25 analysts are now forecasting revenues of US$428.8b in 2025. This would be a solid 8.9% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to bounce 85% to US$28.72. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$428.7b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$28.72 in 2025. The consensus analysts don't seem to have seen anything in these results that would have changed their view on the business, given there's been no major change to their estimates.

The analysts reconfirmed their price target of US$619, showing that the business is executing well and in line with expectations. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. There are some variant perceptions on UnitedHealth Group, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$658 and the most bearish at US$550 per share. With such a narrow range of valuations, the analysts apparently share similar views on what they think the business is worth.

These estimates are interesting, but it can be useful to paint some more broad strokes when seeing how forecasts compare, both to the UnitedHealth Group's past performance and to peers in the same industry. It's pretty clear that there is an expectation that UnitedHealth Group's revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues to the end of 2025 expected to display 7.0% growth on an annualised basis. This is compared to a historical growth rate of 11% over the past five years. Compare this to the 164 other companies in this industry with analyst coverage, which are forecast to grow their revenue at 6.7% per year. So it's pretty clear that, while UnitedHealth Group's revenue growth is expected to slow, it's expected to grow roughly in line with the industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that there's been no major change in sentiment, with the analysts reconfirming that the business is performing in line with their previous earnings per share estimates. Happily, there were no real changes to revenue forecasts, with the business still expected to grow in line with the overall industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates.

Following on from that line of thought, we think that the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for UnitedHealth Group going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here..

That said, it's still necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with UnitedHealth Group , and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.