An unexpected downturn has been observed in health insurance stocks today. The UnitedHealth Group’s announcement reducing its forecasts for 2025 has significantly impacted the group's share, resulting in a staggering 22% decrease. This news has initiated a trend in the health care sector of the S&P 500, which has seen a decline of around 0.3%.
UnitedHealth isn't the only big insurance firm struggling. Others, including Humana (HUM) which saw a 7% drop, Elevance Health (ELV) witnessing a 2% decline, and CVS Health (CVS) with a 2.5% slump, figured among the top S&P 500 losers. This downward trend also had repercussions on the Dow industrials, where UnitedHealth is a significant component.
With six out of 30 components of the Dow reporting a decline, UnitedHealth, along with Amgen (AMGN), and Nvidia (NVDA) experienced fallouts exceeding 1%. While this general decline is noticeable, it's also worth noting the rise of certain health stocks. For instance, pharmaceutical titan Eli Lilly (LLY) benefitted from drug trial news, illustrating a contrasting trend.
Please note that this article details recent trends in share-price and market data, which are subject to frequent updates.