Earnings results often indicate what direction a company will take in the months ahead. With Q2 behind us, let’s have a look at Elevance Health (NYSE: ELV) and its peers.

Upfront premiums collected by health insurers lead to reliable revenue, but profitability ultimately depends on accurate risk assessments and the ability to control medical costs. Health insurers are also highly sensitive to regulatory changes and economic conditions such as unemployment. Going forward, the industry faces tailwinds from an aging population, increasing demand for personalized healthcare services, and advancements in data analytics to improve cost management. However, continued regulatory scrutiny on pricing practices, the potential for government-led reforms such as expanded public healthcare options, and inflation in medical costs could add volatility to margins. One big debate among investors is the long-term impact of AI and whether it will help underwriting, fraud detection, and claims processing or whether it may wade into ethical grey areas like reinforcing biases and widening disparities in medical care.

The 12 health insurance providers stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q2. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 3.5% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 0.6% below.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 4.6% on average since the latest earnings results.

Elevance Health (NYSE: ELV)

Formerly known as Anthem until its 2022 rebranding, Elevance Health (NYSE: ELV) is one of America's largest health insurers, serving approximately 47 million medical members through its network-based managed care plans.

Elevance Health reported revenues of $49.78 billion, up 15.2% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 3%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a slower quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates and a miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 9.6% since reporting and currently trades at $312.20.

Is now the time to buy Elevance Health? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q2: CVS Health (NYSE: CVS)

With over 9,000 retail pharmacy locations serving as neighborhood health destinations across America, CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) operates retail pharmacies, provides pharmacy benefit management services, and offers health insurance through its Aetna subsidiary.

CVS Health reported revenues of $98.92 billion, up 8.4% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 5.1%. The business had a stunning quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ same-store sales estimates and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 13.6% since reporting. It currently trades at $70.82.

Is now the time to buy CVS Health? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Oscar Health (NYSE: OSCR)

Founded in 2012 to simplify the notoriously complex American healthcare system, Oscar Health (NYSE: OSCR) is a technology-focused health insurance company that offers individual and small group health plans through its cloud-native platform.

Oscar Health reported revenues of $2.86 billion, up 29% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 3.5%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Oscar Health delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. Interestingly, the stock is up 17.2% since the results and currently trades at $16.20.

Read our full analysis of Oscar Health’s results here.

Progyny (NASDAQ: PGNY)

Pioneering a data-driven approach to family building that has achieved an industry-leading patient satisfaction score of +80, Progyny (NASDAQ: PGNY) provides comprehensive fertility and family building benefits solutions to employers, helping employees access quality fertility treatments and support services.

Progyny reported revenues of $332.9 million, up 9.5% year on year. This print surpassed analysts’ expectations by 3.9%. It was an exceptional quarter as it also produced a solid beat of analysts’ sales volume estimates and EBITDA guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations.

The stock is down 2.9% since reporting and currently trades at $22.35.

Read our full, actionable report on Progyny here, it’s free.

Molina Healthcare (NYSE: MOH)

Founded in 1980 as a provider for underserved communities in Southern California, Molina Healthcare (NYSE: MOH) provides managed healthcare services primarily to low-income individuals through Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace insurance programs across 21 states.

Molina Healthcare reported revenues of $11.43 billion, up 15.7% year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 4.4%. Aside from that, it was a slower quarter as it produced a significant miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates and a slight miss of analysts’ customer base estimates.

Molina Healthcare had the weakest full-year guidance update among its peers. The company lost 6,000 customers and ended up with a total of 5.75 million. The stock is down 8.8% since reporting and currently trades at $173.80.

Read our full, actionable report on Molina Healthcare here, it’s free.

Market Update

The Fed’s interest rate hikes throughout 2022 and 2023 have successfully cooled post-pandemic inflation, bringing it closer to the 2% target. Inflationary pressures have eased without tipping the economy into a recession, suggesting a soft landing. This stability, paired with recent rate cuts (0.5% in September 2024 and 0.25% in November 2024), fueled a strong year for the stock market in 2024. The markets surged further after Donald Trump’s presidential victory in November, with major indices reaching record highs in the days following the election. Still, questions remain about the direction of economic policy, as potential tariffs and corporate tax changes add uncertainty for 2025.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our 9 Best Market-Beating Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.

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