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House again votes to repeal Obama health law

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:45:35 -0400

The Republican-led House of Representatives votes to throw out President Barack Obama’s health-care law in its entirety, returning to a favorite target as lawmakers eye midterm elections next year.

(CVH) Coventry Health Care Beats Earnings Estimate

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:04:59 -0400

Coventry Health Care Inc. (CVH) reported first-quarter 2013 operating earnings per share of $1.00,...

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Top 4 Large-Cap Stocks In The Health Care Plans Industry With The Highest ROE

Wed, 15 May 2013 04:17:24 -0400

Below are the top large-cap health care plans stocks on the NYSE and the NASDAQ in terms of return on equity.

The trailing-twelve-month return on equity at Cigna (NYSE: CI) is 18.17%. Cigna's PEG ratio is 1.03.

The trailing-twelve-month return on equity at UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is

UnitedHealth Stays at Neutral – Analyst Blog

Thu, 09 May 2013 17:39:01 -0400

We are reiterating out Neutral recommendation on UnitedHealth Group.

Traders Expect UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) to Stagnate

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:42:00 -0400

Call volume surged on UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH) during Wednesday's session, with roughly 18,000 contracts crossing the tape...(Read More)

WellCare Misses Earnings Est, Sales Beat – Analyst Blog

Wed, 08 May 2013 18:00:01 -0400

WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (WCG) reported first-quarter 2013 adjusted operating earnings of 63 cents per share.

WellCare Misses Earnings Est, Sales Beat – Analyst Blog

Wed, 08 May 2013 17:22:01 -0400

WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (WCG) reported first-quarter 2013 adjusted operating earnings of 63 cents per share, falling significantly from $1.32 earned in the year-ago quarter.

Aetna and Other Stocks to Ride Out a Correction

Mon, 06 May 2013 12:46:43 -0400

With the markets running at record highs, analysts on the institutional portfolio strategy team at Oppenheimer are on the lookout for stocks that are likely hold their ground even if the markets should see a correction.

Stocks that have made the list include Aetna (NYSE: AET), Lam Research (NASDAQ:

New Stock Coverage: Hanesbrands Stock Run Has L'eggs

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:21:00 -0400

Wall Street ratings agencies set the tone for today's stock market.

JPMorgan Upgrades UnitedHealth to “Overweight” (UNH)

Mon, 06 May 2013 09:27:35 -0400

JPMorgan reported on Monday that it has upgraded UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) to “Overweight.” The firm has raised its rating on UNH from “Not Rated” to “Overweight,” and has given the company a $70 price target. This price target suggests a 16% increase from the stock’s current price of $58.92. An analyst from the firm [...]

Fix the debt? Try fixing CEO pay

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:48:09 -0400

Would the CEOs behind the ‘Fix the Debt’ campaign be willing to give up a tax break worth billions to their companies in order to balance the budget? Al Lewis wonders.

Coventry Beats Earnings Estimate – Analyst Blog

Wed, 01 May 2013 15:43:01 -0400

Coventry reported first-quarter 2013 operating earnings per share of $1.00, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate as well as the prior-year earnings.

Molina Reports Strong 1Q Earnings – Analyst Blog

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:30:01 -0400

Molina reported first-quarter 2013 net earnings per share of 64 cents, significantly surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 26 cents.

With Mental Health Emergency Care, Insurers Bank on Hassle Factor

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:25:00 -0400

One million hours of doctors' time is being wasted annually getting pre-approval for the hospitalization of the mentally ill.

WellPoint Reports Strong 1Q Earnings – Analyst Blog

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:38:01 -0400

WellPoint reported first-quarter 2013 adjusted income of $2.94 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.37.

Top 4 Large-Cap Stocks In The Healthcare Plans Industry With The Highest Cash

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 04:52:14 -0400

Below are the top large-cap healthcare plans stocks on the NYSE and the NASDAQ in terms of cash.

WellPoint (NYSE: WLP) had $20.62 billion in total cash for the latest quarter. However, WellPoint had $15.54 billion in total debt for the same period.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) had

Market Wrap-Up for Apr.18 (UNP, PEP, VZ, PM, MS, more)

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:05:25 -0400

Despite futures being up early on, the market was not able to make the sort if in-roads as we saw in Tuesday’s positive session following Monday’s dip. The recent jitters with gold prices plummeting has some investors wondering if equities may be in for a waterfall-like selling event as well. In the face of today’s [...]

UnitedHealth Reports In-Line Earnings – Analyst Blog

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:09:01 -0400

UnitedHealth Group's first-quarter 2013 earnings of $1.16 per share and revenue of $30.3 billion were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

U.S. stocks slip; eBay, UnitedHealth disappoint

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:51:56 -0400

U.S. stocks quickly cleared opening gains on Thursday as investors reacted to a wave of earnings and data that had jobless claims little changed last week.

UnitedHealth Group Q1 Profit Slides 14%, Revenue Jumps 11% (UNH)

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:31:37 -0400

Before the opening bell on Thursday, the nation’s largest health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) reported a lower first quarter profit on higher revenues due to higher medical costs. Net earnings topped analysts’ views, but revenue missed. The Minnetonka, Minnesota-based company said its first quarter net income fell 14% to $1.192 billion, or $1.16 per [...]

Google, IBM, Microsoft are Thursday’s big earnings

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:30:40 -0400

Google, International Business Machines., Microsoft, and Morgan Stanley are among the big names slated to report earnings on Thursday.

Genomics companies ripe for flurry of mergers

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:16:23 -0400

The acquisition of Life Technologies for $13.6 billion shows that investors have plenty of opportunities to profit from the genomics industry, writes Ben Weiss.

Earnings Expectations for the Week of April 15

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 19:58:11 -0400

The earnings crunch is on this week, with first-quarter results due from such iconic blue chips as Coca-Cola, General Electric, Google, Johnson & Johnson, McDonald's and Microsoft.

Analysts expect to see year-over-year earnings growth from each of them, but earnings declines from Intel, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs.

Here is a

A Look Ahead: This Week's ETFs to Watch

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 19:52:30 -0400

Last week was another strong one for U.S. stocks as the S&P 500 climbed 2.3 percent in what was benchmark index's best performance since the first week of the year.

The SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY) is now up 8.7 percent year-to-date. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 2.1

Fearless investors buy rally as earnings ramp up

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 08:00:22 -0400

After all the grave concerns of the past 12 months, this is starting to look like a Teflon stock market.

Credit Suisse Boosts Price Target on UnitedHealth Group (UNH)

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:27:08 -0400

Credit Suisse analysts raised the price target on UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) on Tuesday, saying that the health care benefit company’s pharmacy benefits management unit, OptumRx, is not being appreciated by investors. The analysts maintain an “Outperform” rating on UNH and see shares now reaching $71. This new valuation suggests a 15% upside to Monday’s [...]

UBS Initiates UnitedHealth Group with a “Buy” Rating (UNH)

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 09:00:02 -0400

On Friday, analysts at UBS gave some bullish commentary on UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) and initiated coverage on the health care provider. The analysts cite the company’s scale, cash flow, and growth in its Optum business as factors that will help drive upside to shares. They rate UNH as “Buy” and see shares reaching $72. [...]

GAO: ‘Intelligence firm’ disclosure could help SEC

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:58:15 -0400

More transparency by political intelligence firms could help the Securities and Exchange Commission identify insider trading firms, according to a government watchdog report released Thursday.

UnitedHealthcare Wins $5.2M in Grants to California Nonprofits

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 09:01:41 -0400

Two Northern California nonprofit hospitals have been awarded a total of $806,500 in grants from UnitedHealthcare to help improve health care services and wellness programs for local patients and community residents.

The grants are part of $5.2 million UnitedHealthcare is awarding to nine health care organizations to support nonprofit clinics and hospitals that improve health

Weakness in Miners and Refiners Keep a Lid on the Markets: SPX, Nasdaq, WLT, CLF, TSO, VLO, PSX, CF, AGU, MON, AMGN, BIIB, REGN, BMRN, ALXN, CELG, ONXX, HUM, UNH, WLP, AET, AAPL, NFLX, LNKD

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 22:07:59 -0400

Lots of things happening today. Big sector moves! Miners, especial coals, were still very weak. WLT (-7.96%) and CLF (-4.06) just kept tumbling lower. Oil refiners took a big drop today: TSL -3.22%; VLO -5.69%; PSX -3.62%. Agriculture stocks also dropped further: CF -2.05%; AGU -1.2%; MON -1.69%. On the other hand, healthcare and biotech [...]

STTG Market Recap Apr 2, 2013

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:46:28 -0400

Stocks continued their recent pattern with outperformance by the S&P 500 and underperformance by small caps as signified by the Russell 2000. Stocks gapped up to start the day, and seemed to be on cruise control but began selling off sharply in the last 20 minutes of the day, threatening to erase all the day's gains. But in the last few minutes of the day a sharp rally of about 5 S&P points helped keep the gains preserved; the S&P 500 gained 0.52% and the NASDAQ 0.48%. The Russell 2000 - which we have been harping on lately - was down 0.48% so you have a full 1% difference between how large(r) caps did versus small(er) caps.

Original post: STTG Market Recap Apr 2, 2013

Hot Option Plays: Stocks Rise, Led By Health Care Sector

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:18:09 -0400

Midday 04-02-2013 Stock market averages moved higher through midday and held the gains into the close Tuesday. The only economic stat of the day showed Factory Orders up 3 percent for February and .4 percent more than expected. Ford and GM shares ticked higher in the wake of their monthly auto sales results. Meanwhile, United [...]

Dividend Highlights/Lowlights for April 2

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:35:20 -0400

These were some of the biggest dividend stock performers on the upside and the downside in today’s market action. Highlights Humana Inc. (HUM) – up 5% Garmin (GRMN) – up 5% UnitedHealth Group (UNH) – up 5% Amgen (AMGN) – up 4% International Paper (IP) – up 4% Lowlights Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) – down [...]

The Markets Now: Stocks Remain Elevated After Factory Orders Report

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:45:00 -0400

Plus, health insurers jump on smaller anticipated cuts to Medicare Advantage plans.

Bullish Bets On UnitedHealth Working As Shares Sprint Higher

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:03:30 -0400

Today’s tickers: UNH, MYGN & OMPI

UNH - UnitedHealth Group, Inc. – Shares in UnitedHealth rose sharply in after-hours trading on Monday after the U.S. government reversed an earlier decision to reduce a Medicare payment rate and instead offer an increase in the rate. Bullish bets initiated on UnitedHealth ahead of the federal government’s announcement yesterday generated big gains for some traders, with shares in UNH surging 8.4% to $63.95 in the early going today, the highest level since 2005. Open interest in weekly call options on UNH is greatest in the April 05 ’13 $57.5 and $60 strike calls, with more than 1,300 open contracts each. A review of time and sales data from the prior two trading session indicates most of the $57.5 strike calls were purchased ahead of the long weekend at an average premium of $0.39 each, while the $60 strike calls were picked up yesterday for an average premium of $0.17 apiece. The sharp rally in UnitedHealth’s shares since these upside call options were purchased now finds the $57.5 and $60 strike calls changing hands at $5.45 and $3.30 apiece, respectively, as of 11:15 a.m. ET on Tuesday. Traders long the weekly calls ahead of the close on Monday are sitting on big paper profits worth many times the initial premium outlay today. Overall options volume on UnitedHealth on Tuesday morning is approaching 24,000 contracts as of the time of this writing, or roughly three times the stock’s average daily volume. Call options are more active than puts, with the call/put ratio hovering around 1.9 as of 11:20 a.m. in New York.

MYGN - Myriad Genetics, Inc. – Options changing hands on biotechnology company, Myriad Genetics, Inc., this morning suggests one trader is bracing for shares in the maker of molecular diagnostic tests to potentially decline sharply during the next few months. The stock is bucking the broad market trend today, trading down 0.60% at $24.97 as of 11:30 a.m. ET. Shares in Myriad have dropped roughly 10% since the start of 2013.…

Hot Option Plays: Equities Open Higher

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:17:48 -0400

Midday 04-02-2013 Stock market averages are rallying Tuesday. The only economic stat of the day showed Factory Orders up 3 percent for February and .4 percent more than expected. Ford and GM shares ticked higher in the wake of their monthly auto sales results. Meanwhile, United Healthcare (NYSE:UNH) gained 6 percent and is the best [...]

Chart of the Day: Expect UnitedHealth Stock to Hit All-Time Highs

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:06:00 -0400

The heath care space is on fire, and UNH has been a long-term leader among the insurers.

Jefferies Boosts Price Target on Health Insurers After Medicare Advantage Rate Announcement (HUM, UNH, CI, more)

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:23:03 -0400

After the closing bell on Monday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its final 2014 Medicare Advantage rates. Now, a bunch of health insurers will receive more compensation than previously expected. As such, Jefferies raised the price targets on some health insurers. “The rate starting point (NPCMAGP) of 2.96% was a significant [...]

U.S. stocks rise as car makers report sales

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:52:45 -0400

U.S. stocks rise Tuesday, as investors appeared optimistic about March car-sales data and an expected rebound in February factory orders.

Medicare News Sends Health Care Stocks Higher

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:01:41 -0400

Shares of major health insurers, including Humana (NYSE: HUM), Universal American Corp. (NYSE: UAM), UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) and Aetna (NYSE: AET) rose sharply in after-hours trading Monday, following news of a reimbursement rate reversal by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid

Tuesday’s movers: BGC Partners, Humana

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:48:02 -0400

Shares of BGC Partners Inc. and Humana Inc. posted strong gains in premarket trading while Affymax Inc. and Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. fell. Several car makers attracted attention ahead of March sales data.

Cigna and Atlantic Form ACO – Analyst Blog

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:15:01 -0400

Cigna expands its accountable care initiative.

Dividend Highlights/Lowlights for April 1

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:43:33 -0400

These were some of the biggest dividend stock performers on the upside and the downside in today’s market action. Highlights Humana Inc. (HUM) – up 9% Molson Coors (TAP) – up 6% UnitedHealth Group (UNH) – up 3% Hess Corp (HES) – up 3% Aetna (AET) – up 2% Lowlights General Dynamics Corporation (GD) – [...]

Market Wrap-Up for Mar.27 (JPM, IR, MON, UNH, HUM, more)

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:16:00 -0400

As market volume continues to dip into the final trading day of the week tomorrow (markets will be closed for Good Friday ahead of Easter weekend), we have been looking for anecdotes that could be moving the averages. With the banks in Cyprus set to reopen tomorrow, overseas investors are certainly expressing concerns on what [...]

(UNH) Health Insurance Stock Outlook – March 2013 – Zacks Analyst Interviews

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 18:19:24 -0400

The health insurance industry has confronted many external challenges in the recent past, such as...

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Health Insurance Stock Outlook – March 2013 – Industry Outlook

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:46:01 -0400

The overall thrust of healthcare reform and regulatory changes will most definitely change the face of the industry over the long run.

UnitedHealth to Hire 230 Employees – Analyst Blog

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:19:01 -0400

UnitedHealth Group Inc. plans to recruit 230 employees in Colo.

Aetna Forms ACO with ProHealth – Analyst Blog

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:40:01 -0400

Aetna furthers its Accountable Care initiative.

Magellan Launches New Program – Analyst Blog

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:33:01 -0400

Magellan Health Services announced that its unit Magellan Pharmacy Solutions has launched a new clinical quality management program.

Can Obamacare Silence Its Critics? – Analyst Blog

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:15:01 -0400

Right from its very inception, the Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare, has faced strident criticism.