UnitedHealth Group reported $14.4 billion in 2024 profits as its UnitedHealthcare health insurance and Optum provider services overcame rising costs and a cyberattack.

UnitedHealth posted a better-than-expected profit in the final quarter of 2024, but a nagging rise in medical costs and care utilization surprised Wall Street. Shares of the health care giant slid Thursday after it released its first financial report since the brazen shooting of one of its executives outside a New York City hotel touched a

UnitedHealth's high medical costs and lower-than-expected revenue in the fourth quarter underscored persistent challenges at its insurance unit, sending the healthcare conglomerate's shares down about 4% before the bell on Thursday.