REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 13 (Reuters) - UnitedHealth (UNH.N) reported a third-quarter profit on Friday that beat analysts' estimates, helped by lower-than-expected medical costs for the healthcare conglomerate.
UnitedHealth said in July it expects medical costs for the third quarter to be "a little bit lower" compared with the second quarter.
The company's medical loss ratio for the quarter, the percentage of spend on claims compared to premiums collected, was 82.3%, compared with analysts' estimates of 82.82%, according to LSEG data.
UnitedHealth reported an adjusted profit of $6.56 per share for the third quarter, compared with estimates of $6.32.
The company now expects an adjusted profit between $24.85 and $25.00 per share, compared with its previous outlook of $24.70 to $25.00.
Persons:
Lucy Nicholson, UnitedHealth, Mariam Sunny, Bhanvi, Shounak Dasgupta
Organizations:
REUTERS, Thomson
Locations:
Bengaluru