The end of an earnings season can be a great time to discover new stocks and assess how companies are handling the current business environment. Let’s take a look at how Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) and the rest of the health insurance providers stocks fared in Q4.
Upfront premiums collected by health insurers lead to reliable revenue, but profitability ultimately depends on accurate risk assessments and the ability to control medical costs. Health insurers are also highly sensitive to regulatory changes and economic conditions such as unemployment. Going forward, the industry faces tailwinds from an aging population, increasing demand for personalized healthcare services, and advancements in data analytics to improve cost management. However, continued regulatory scrutiny on pricing practices, the potential for government-led reforms such as expanded public healthcare options, and inflation in medical costs could add volatility to margins. One big debate among investors is the long-term impact of AI and whether it will help underwriting, fraud detection, and claims processing or whether it may wade into ethical grey areas like reinforcing biases and widening disparities in medical care.
The 11 health insurance providers stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2.3% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.
Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 6% on average since the latest earnings results.
Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV)
Formerly known as Anthem until its 2022 rebranding, Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) is one of America's largest health insurers, serving approximately 47 million medical members through its network-based managed care plans.
Elevance Health reported revenues of $45.44 billion, up 6.6% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, but overall, it was a slower quarter for the company with a slight miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates and customer base in line with analysts’ estimates.
“As part of our commitment to elevating whole health and advancing health beyond healthcare, we deliver value to the members and care providers we serve by ensuring simple, affordable, and accessible care. Our fourth quarter results demonstrate tangible progress in improving our operations in response to the dynamic environment facing the industry. As we look to 2025, we remain resolute in our goal to simplify the healthcare experience, deepen the impact of Carelon, and deploy innovative care models, positioning us to achieve sustainable growth over the long run."
The stock is up 10.6% since reporting and currently trades at $432.18.
Is now the time to buy Elevance Health? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Best Q4: Progyny (NASDAQ:PGNY)
Pioneering a data-driven approach to family building that has achieved an industry-leading patient satisfaction score of +80, Progyny (NASDAQ:PGNY) provides comprehensive fertility and family building benefits solutions to employers, helping employees access quality fertility treatments and support services.
Progyny reported revenues of $298.4 million, up 10.6% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 7.6%. The business had a very strong quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ sales volume estimates and EBITDA guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations.
Progyny pulled off the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The market seems content with the results as the stock is up 1.1% since reporting. It currently trades at $23.09.
Is now the time to buy Progyny? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Weakest Q4: Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH)
Founded in 1980 as a provider for underserved communities in Southern California, Molina Healthcare (NYSE:MOH) provides managed healthcare services primarily to low-income individuals through Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace insurance programs across 21 states.
Molina Healthcare reported revenues of $10.5 billion, up 16% year on year, exceeding analysts’ expectations by 1.9%. Still, it was a slower quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates.
Interestingly, the stock is up 3.2% since the results and currently trades at $327.54.
Read our full analysis of Molina Healthcare’s results here.
Humana (NYSE:HUM)
With over 80% of its revenue derived from federal government contracts, Humana (NYSE:HUM) provides health insurance plans and healthcare services to approximately 17 million members, with a strong focus on Medicare Advantage plans for seniors.
Humana reported revenues of $29.2 billion, up 13.5% year on year. This result topped analysts’ expectations by 1.1%. Aside from that, it was a mixed quarter as it also logged full-year revenue guidance exceeding analysts’ expectations.
The company lost 11,000 customers and ended up with a total of 16.35 million. The stock is flat since reporting and currently trades at $264.72.
Read our full, actionable report on Humana here, it’s free.
UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH)
With over 100 million people served across its various businesses and a workforce of more than 400,000, UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) operates a health insurance business and Optum, a healthcare services division that provides everything from pharmacy benefits to primary care.
UnitedHealth reported revenues of $100.8 billion, up 6.8% year on year. This print missed analysts’ expectations by 0.9%. Overall, it was a slower quarter for the company.
The company added 5,000 customers to reach a total of 53.73 million. The stock is down 3.5% since reporting and currently trades at $524.11.
Read our full, actionable report on UnitedHealth here, it’s free.
Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Hidden Gem Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.
Join Paid Stock Investor Research
Help us make StockStory more helpful to investors like yourself. Join our paid user research session and receive a $50 Amazon gift card for your opinions. Sign up here.