UnitedHealth Group Reports 2024 Results

Business Wire 16-Jan-2025 5:55 AM

• Revenues of $400.3 Billion Grew 8% Year-Over-Year
• Domestic Consumers Served by UnitedHealthcare Grew 2.1 Million
• Value-Based Care Patients Served by Optum Grew 600,000
• Cash Flows from Operations were $24.2 Billion or 1.6x Net Income
• Full Year, Fourth Quarter Net Earnings were $15.51, $5.98 Per Share
• Full Year, Fourth Quarter Adjusted Net Earnings were $27.66, $6.81 Per Share
• Company Affirms 2025 Performance Outlook

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) reported full year and fourth quarter 2024 results reflecting diversified growth in serving people more extensively at Optum and UnitedHealthcare.

"The people of UnitedHealth Group remain focused on making high-quality, affordable health care more available to more people while making the health system easier to navigate for patients and providers, positioning us well for growth in 2025," said Andrew Witty, chief executive officer of UnitedHealth Group.

UnitedHealth Group affirmed the 2025 performance outlook established in December 2024, including revenues of $450 billion to $455 billion, net earnings of $28.15 to $28.65 per share, adjusted net earnings of $29.50 to $30.00 per share and cash flow from operations of $32 billion to $33 billion.

• UnitedHealth Group's 2024 revenues grew $28.7 billion or 8% year-over-year to $400.3 billion, driven primarily by serving people more comprehensively across the enterprise. Full year 2024 earnings from operations were $32.3 billion. Adjusted earnings from operations of $34.4 billion exclude the cyberattack direct response costs and South American impacts.
• The full year medical care ratio was 85.5% compared to 83.2% in 2023. The increase was primarily due to previously discussed items, including the revenue effects of CMS's Medicare funding reductions, member mix and timing of Medicaid redeterminations. Factors cited on the company's third quarter earnings call, including increased hospital coding intensity and specialty medication prescribing, continued at similar levels in the fourth quarter and are reflected in the company's 2025 outlook. Days claims payable of 47.0 compared to 47.4 in third quarter 2024 and 47.9 at year end 2023. The company did not have any favorable earnings impacting medical reserve development in the fourth quarter.
• The full year 2024 operating cost ratio of 13.2% compared to 14.7% in 2023, reflecting gains from business portfolio refinement and strong improvement in operating efficiencies and consumer experiences. The business portfolio refinement, including strategic transactions, will enhance growth opportunities and contributed about 80 basis points, nearly half at Optum Health with the remainder split between UnitedHealthcare and Optum Insight.
• Cash flows from operations for the full year were $24.2 billion, or 1.6 times net income. During 2024, the company returned over $16 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. Return on equity of 23.7% in the fourth quarter, reflected the company's consistent, broad-based earnings and efficient capital structure.

UnitedHealthcare provides health care benefits globally, serving individuals and employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to improving the value customers and consumers receive by improving health and wellness, enhancing the quality of care received, simplifying the health care experience and reducing the total cost of care.

• UnitedHealthcare full year revenues of $298.2 billion increased $16.8 billion or 6% year-over-year. Operating earnings were $15.6 billion.
• The number of consumers served with domestic commercial benefits grew by 2.4 million in 2024, reflecting strong customer response to the company's innovative offerings which enhance transparency and consumer choice. In 2025, one in four of our largest fee-based employer customers are offering such plans.
• The number of people served by the company's offerings for seniors and people with complex needs grew to 9.4 million due to product designs tailored to meet the specific needs of individuals and families with limited economic resources and who are underserved.
• People served by the company's state-based community offerings moderated as expected to 7.4 million due to the now concluded Medicaid eligibility redeterminations process, partially offset by new and expanded customer relationships. UnitedHealthcare expanded with state customers including Michigan, Idaho, Nevada and Georgia in 2024, providing momentum the company expects will lead to a return to growth in people served in 2025.

The Optum health services businesses serve the global health care marketplace, including payers, care providers, employers, governments, life sciences companies and consumers. Using market-leading information, analytics and technology to yield clinical insights, Optum helps improve overall health system performance by optimizing care quality, reducing care costs and improving the consumer experience.

• Optum full year revenues of $253 billion grew $26.3 billion or 12% year-over-year, led by Optum Rx and Optum Health. Operating earnings were $16.7 billion and adjusted operating earnings were $18.2 billion. Adjusted operating earnings exclude costs to support the Change Healthcare direct response efforts.
• Optum Health revenues grew to $105.4 billion, driven by growth in patients served under value-based care arrangements and continued expansion of the types and level of care provided. At the end of 2024, Optum Health served 4.7 million people with value-base care and expects to grow to serve an additional 650,000 patients in 2025.
• Optum Insight revenues were $18.8 billion, with the 1% year-over-year decline reflecting the business disruption effects of the cyberattack, which were $867 million. Operating earnings were $3.1 billion and adjusted operating earnings, which exclude cyberattack direct response costs, were $4.4 billion. The revenue backlog grew by $700 million over last year, largely due to new health system partnerships.
• Optum Rx revenues increased 15% in 2024 due to growth in new clients as well as expanded relationships with existing clients. Optum Rx continued to advance its comprehensive scope of pharmacy services offered, including specialty and community-based pharmacies. Adjusted scripts grew to 1.62 billion, compared to 1.54 billion last year.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) is a health care and well-being company with a mission to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone through two distinct and complementary businesses. Optum delivers care aided by technology and data, empowering people, partners and providers with the guidance and tools they need to achieve better health. UnitedHealthcare offers a full range of health benefits, enabling affordable coverage, simplifying the health care experience and delivering access to high-quality care. Visit UnitedHealth Group at www.unitedhealthgroup.com and follow UnitedHealth Group on LinkedIn.

Earnings Conference Call

As previously announced, UnitedHealth Group will discuss the company's results, strategy and future outlook on a conference call with investors at 8:45 a.m. Eastern Time today. UnitedHealth Group will host a live webcast of this conference call from the Investor Relations page of the company's website (www.unitedhealthgroup.com). Following the call, a webcast replay will be on the Investor Relations page through January 30, 2025. This earnings release and the Form 8-K dated January 16, 2025, can also be accessed from the Investor Relations page of the company's website.

Non-GAAP Financial Information

This news release presents non-GAAP financial information provided as a complement to the results provided in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial information to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is provided in the accompanying tables found at the end of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements, estimates, projections, guidance or outlook contained in this document include "forward-looking" statements which are intended to take advantage of the "safe harbor" provisions of the federal securities laws. The words "believe," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "forecast," "outlook," "plan," "project," "should" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. These statements may contain information about financial prospects, economic conditions and trends and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those that management expects, depending on the outcome of certain factors including: our ability to effectively estimate, price for and manage medical costs; new or changes in existing health care laws or regulations, or their enforcement or application; cyberattacks, other privacy/data security incidents, or our failure to comply with related regulations; reductions in revenue or delays to cash flows received under government programs; changes in Medicare, the CMS star ratings program or the application of risk adjustment data validation audits; the DOJ's legal action relating to the risk adjustment submission matter; our ability to maintain and achieve improvement in quality scores impacting revenue; failure to maintain effective and efficient information systems or if our technology products do not operate as intended; risks and uncertainties associated with our businesses providing pharmacy care services; competitive pressures, including our ability to maintain or increase our market share; changes in or challenges to our public sector contract awards; failure to achieve targeted operating cost productivity improvements; failure to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with health care payers, physicians, hospitals and other service providers; the impact of potential changes in tax laws and regulations; increases in costs and other liabilities associated with litigation, government investigations, audits or reviews; failure to complete, manage or integrate strategic transactions; risk and uncertainties associated with the sale of our remaining operations in South America; risks associated with public health crises arising from large-scale medical emergencies, pandemics, natural disasters and other extreme events; failure to attract, develop, retain, and manage the succession of key employees and executives; our investment portfolio performance; impairment of our goodwill and intangible assets; failure to protect proprietary rights to our databases, software and related products; downgrades in our credit ratings; and our ability to obtain sufficient funds from our regulated subsidiaries or from external financings to fund our obligations, reinvest in our business, maintain our debt to total capital ratio at targeted levels, maintain our quarterly dividend payment cycle, or continue repurchasing shares of our common stock.

This above list is not exhaustive. We discuss these matters, and certain risks that may affect our business operations, financial condition and results of operations, more fully in our filings with the SEC, including our reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. By their nature, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict or quantify. Actual results may vary materially from expectations expressed or implied in this document or any of our prior communications. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We do not undertake to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

UNITEDHEALTH GROUP RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

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