Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) operates as a diversified healthcare company. With a market cap of $279.9 billion, UnitedHealth provides a range of healthcare products and services, and operates through UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx segments.

The healthcare giant is set to announce its second-quarter results before the market opens on Tuesday, Jul. 29. Ahead of the event, analysts expect UNH to deliver an EPS of $5.08, down 25.3% from $6.80 reported in the year-ago quarter. While the company has missed the Street’s bottom-line estimates once over the past four quarters, it has surpassed the projections on three other occasions.

For the full fiscal 2025, the company is expected to deliver an EPS of $21.85, down 21% from $27.66 reported in fiscal 2024. However, in fiscal 2026, its earnings are expected to rise 15.6% year-over-year to $25.25 per share.

UNH stock has plunged 37.8% over the past 52 weeks, significantly underperforming the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 11.9% returns and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund’s (XLV) 7% decline during the same time frame.

UnitedHealth Group’s stock prices plummeted 22.4% after the release of its disappointing Q1 results on Apr. 17. Driven by high growth in premium collection, the company’s overall topline increased 9.8% year-over-year to $109.6 billion. However, this figure fell short of the Street’s expectations by 1.4%. Meanwhile, its adjusted net income for the quarter inched up by a modest 2.8% year-over-year to $6.6 billion, and its adjusted EPS of $7.20 missed the consensus estimates by a small margin, marking the first earnings miss since 2008.

Furthermore, UnitedHealth lowered its full-year outlook due to higher-than-expected medical costs, which unsettled investor confidence.

Nonetheless, analysts remain optimistic about the stock’s longer-term prospects. UNH holds a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating overall. Of the 24 analysts covering the stock, opinions include 15 “Strong Buys,” two “Moderate Buys,” and seven “Holds.” Its mean price target of $363.43 suggests a 19.7% upside potential from current price levels.