Benzinga | Oct 20, 2021 11:05AM EDT

Why UnitedHealth Shares Are Rising

Shares of healthcare providers and insurers, including UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE:UNH) are trading higher in sympathy with Anthem, which gained after reporting better-than-expected third-quarter results and raising FY21 guidance.

Anthem reported quarterly earnings of $6.79 per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $6.39 by 6.3%. Anthem also reported quarterly sales of $35.50 billion which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $35.30 billion by 1%.

UnitedHealth is the largest private health insurance provider in the United States, providing medical benefits to 48 million members across its U.S. and international businesses at the end of 2020.

UnitedHealth has a 52-week high of $434.66 and a 52-week low of $299.60.