Banking on its sturdy membership and inorganic growth profile, Anthem (ANTM) holds potential to reap benefits for investors.

Firm's largest sales of the 1st quarter Continue reading...

The coronavirus pandemic has helped digital health surge like never before. With virtual visits increasing on a daily basis, we have five stocks that are set to gain.

Guru’s top new buys include Facebook and acute-care company Continue reading...

Insurance companies are proposing rates for 2021. With the Covid-19 crisis, there's little clarity about the future, making it an unprecedented situation for the industry and consumers.

Today we'll evaluate Anthem, Inc. (NYSE:ANTM) to determine whether it could have potential as an investment idea...

AM Best has assigned Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings (Long-Term IR) of "bbb+" to the new senior unsecured notes of Anthem, Inc. (Anthem) (Indianapolis, IN) [NYSE: ANTM], which total $2.5 billion. The offering consists of $400 million of 2.375% senior unsecured notes due 2025; $1.1 billion of 2.25% senior unsecured notes due 2030; and $1.0 billion of 3.125% senior unsecured notes due 2050. The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. Anthem’s existing Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings remain unchanged.

A Relative Strength Rating upgrade for Indianapolis-based Anthem shows improving technical performance.

A look at the value investor's latest 13F filing Continue reading...

In this article we will check out the progression of hedge fund sentiment towards Anthem Inc (NYSE:ANTM) and determine whether it is a good investment right now. We at Insider Monkey like to examine what billionaires and hedge funds think of a company before spending days of research on it. Given their 2 and 20 […]

The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: JPMorgan Chase, AbbVie, Royal Dutch Shell, Gilead Sciences and Anthem

UnitedHealth stock has recovered from the first quarter sell-off and now looks ready to break out above 2018 resistance.

Let's talk about the popular Anthem, Inc. (NYSE:ANTM). The company's shares saw a significant share price rise of over...

“There are a number of questions given the shock that happened to the system,” a Blue Cross Blue Shield Association executive told Yahoo Finance in a recent interview.

Firm's largest sales of the 1st quarter Continue reading...

According to Greg Fann and Dave Dillon, fellows of the Society of Actuaries who work directly with insurers to set health insurance premium rates, costs will be up “in the 4-6% range for the individual and small group market.” Yahoo Finance’s Ethan Wolff-Mann joins Seana Smith to discuss.

Q1 2020 Anthem Inc Earnings Call

Despite incredible relevancy toward the novel coronavirus pandemic, UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) was hardly immune to volatility. At one point, UNH stock was down over 33% for the year.Source: Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com However, in late March, shares began picking up momentum. It wasn't the only one, with other managed care organizations, such as Anthem (NYSE:ANTM), Cigna (NYSE:CI) and Humana (NYSE:HUM) enjoying similar upside.But can you trust this sector given growing concerns about economic stability?InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsOn one hand, the case for UNH stock and its peers appears to have fundamental justification. Unlike other crises that we have suffered in the modern era, the novel coronavirus is a black swan event that has impacted all of us to a significant degree. In this manner, it's completely dissimilar to localized events, such as the 9/11 attacks or an incident that only impacts certain people, such as the housing crisis of the mid-2000s. * 7 A-Rated REITs to Buy NowNo, the coronavirus is a microbiological threat from which no one can assume they're safe. Undoubtedly, this caused many consumers to open their eyes toward upgrading their medical care. If enough people do this, it could provide a boost to UNH stock.Furthermore, UnitedHealth delivered an earnings beat for its first quarter with an earnings per share of $3.72. Consensus estimates called for EPS of $3.65. Revenue, though, missed slightly at $64.42 billion, whereas analysts had targeted $64.67 billion.Although a very positive outcome considering the circumstances, we're walking through uncharted territory. Thus, it's not unreasonable to believe UNH stock could suffer more turbulence until we get a hold of the true status of our economy. Here are three other reasons why investors need to be careful with UnitedHealth. UNH Stock Has a Flawed Coronavirus CatalystAlthough I understand why many analysts have a bullish take on managed care companies, I believe that they're exaggerating the positive impact of the coronavirus. Yes, the pandemic has caused people to examine their insurance policy and their overall preparedness. But that doesn't necessarily equate to a mass conversion toward UNH.First, the membership metric missed Wall Street's expectation by 2% in the first quarter. This shortfall likely indicates that the growing number of the unemployed, along with broader fears about economic sustainability have negatively affected UnitedHealth.Second, the coronavirus is a rare, one-off event. The last incident like this to hit the U.S. was the H1N1 pandemic, which infected millions and killed approximately 17,000. But this outbreak happened over a decade ago. Frankly, it's not worth adjusting your insurance policy (especially to a premium policy) to address a situation that occurs so infrequently.Not only that, your chances of getting Covid-19 are very slim. Roughly speaking, there are 328 million people in the U.S. At time of writing, there are 1.26 million total cumulative cases of coronavirus here. Thus, we're talking about a disease that has only impacted less than 0.4% of the population.Don't get me wrong - I'm not minimizing this pandemic. But I just don't see the impetus for UNH stock. Sure, people will forever remember the coronavirus, but I doubt they'll switch or upgrade insurance policies over it. The Pandemic Is a Negative for InsurersAs you know, the rising cost of health care has been a vexing issue for patients along with the electorate. However, not having access to health care is a scarier thought for many folks. That's why for those of us that can afford it, we put up with the escalating costs.If you believe the above bullish argument for UNH stock, then you're assuming the outbreak provides an incentive for UnitedHealth. Clearly, the collective health risk has caused people to examine their coverage with "what if" scenarios. But I don't think an outlier is enough to convince people to pay more money for premium care.Indeed, I look at it from the opposite angle. When the coronavirus broke out in a substantial way and disrupted our health care networks, people were incentivized not to visit the hospital or primary care clinic. With so many sick people and medical professionals often working without adequate protection, you were taking huge risks to subject yourself to that environment.Yet at the same time, you were paying your monthly bills as if nothing happened. This then causes people to examine the extreme cost of paying for protection against an event that might not occur.If anything, I see a catalyst for supplemental insurance companies like Aflac (NYSE:AFL), which covers more common unexpected events, such as a broken limb. Because it's supplemental, people can choose whatever services they wish to enhance their overall coverage profile. But besides that, the concept of a bump up in premium covered care doesn't strike me as plausible in this environment. It's All About the EconomyThe Department of Labor will release its April jobs report today. I don't need to know what the number is to know that it's terrible. On Wednesday, Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) released its employment stats, which showed that the private sector shed more than 20 million jobs.Current projections call for the April jobs report to disclose 22 million employment positions lost. That would mean a decade's worth of jobs have evaporated in a span of weeks. It's a staggering thought.And in this paradigm, it's incredibly difficult to reconcile how UNH stock will thrive. Generally, UnitedHealth plans cost more than other coverage programs. Perhaps the first wave of unemployment numbers didn't impact UNH because they disproportionately affected lower-income workers.But if this economic malaise continues, it's inevitable that higher-wage earners in business services and management roles will get the axe. In my opinion, it's already happening. Either way, the middle class cannot avoid the coronavirus. And that would present huge challenges for UNH stock for which I'm not interested in staking my money.A former senior business analyst for Sony Electronics, Josh Enomoto has helped broker major contracts with Fortune Global 500 companies. Over the past several years, he has delivered unique, critical insights for the investment markets, as well as various other industries including legal, construction management, and healthcare. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * America's 1 Stock Picker Reveals Next 1,000% Winner * 25 Stocks You Should Sell Immediately * 1 Under-the-Radar 5G Stock to Buy Now * The 1 Stock All Retirees Must Own The post 3 Reasons to Think Carefully Before Betting on UnitedHealth appeared first on InvestorPlace.

The prominent insurer is the latest to provide coverage for the remote orthodonture company's solutions.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) beat market estimates for sales in its May 6 report but the share fell 5% anyway. The CVS stock price has eked out a 3% gain since its mid-March low, while the S&P 500 index is up 5.1% in the same seven or so weeks.Source: Shutterstock InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsThat report? Earnings of $2.01 billion, $1.53 per share fell short of estimates for $1.70 a share of earnings. But revenue of $66.75 billion was well ahead of estimates for $62.61 billion.Revenue gains were strongest on the insurance side of the house, the former Aetna. Earnings gains were strongest in what it called the retail and long-term care segment, which includes its in-store clinics.Initial reports had earnings of $1.91 a share, which would have beat even the whisper number. This was adjusted income, including some non-GAAP items related to the Aetna deal and amortization of intangible assets. Is the Aetna Deal Working?CVS Health made itself unique in 2018 by paying $69 billion for Aetna. At the time, Aetna was one of four large health insurers left behind by the growth of United Healthcare (NYSE:UNH).The deal came about after the four laggards were kept from merging with each other by the Obama administration. The other three -- Cigna (NYSE:CI), Anthem (NYSE:ANTM) and Humana (NYSE:HUM) -- remain independent. Only Humana has outperformed UNH over the last two years, but the others have all outperformed CVS. * 7 A-Rated REITs to Buy Now CVS is now larger than UNH in terms of annual revenue, $256 billion to $240 billion, but has less than half of its new rival's net income. The goal has been to deliver managed care through CVS pharmacies and, eventually, better value from insurance operations. That goal has yet to be achieved, although UNH has moved into managed care in recent years, following CVS' lead.For investors, this has given CVS stock a better performance than Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA), formerly its drug store doppelganger. Over the last two years CVS shares are down 4%, while Walgreens is down by more than a third. But health insurance, by itself, remains a better business. Pandemic's Front LinesPartly because of the Aetna deal, and partly due to its niche in pharmacy, CVS can afford its 50 cents per share dividend payout during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Its full-year guidance on earnings remains unchanged, at $5.47-$5.60 per share diluted and $7.04-$7.17 per share adjusted.During the first quarter CVS Health saw both higher prescription and in-store revenue, and lower benefit costs. April results show a "new normal" of lower merchandise sales and higher pharmacy sales.Patients are focused on Covid-19 and putting off dealing with other medical problems. CEO Larry Merlo expects the second quarter to represent a "trough" in results. But that's much better than the disaster other retailers are predicting. * 9 Online Retail Stocks Profiting From Social Distancing Analysts are divided on how to look at this. Some warn of mounting costs and a retail collapse, telling growth investors to avoid the stock. Others see a promising technical chart, a stock poised to move higher. Still others see a cheap insurer trading at less than 10 times earnings, half what UNH is selling for. Bottom Line on CVS StockMy own view on CVS stock is that the managed care era it was built for has yet to appear.Health insurers are raking in profits under Trump, and anger at this fueled the rise of Bernie Sanders. His failure to beat Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination, in turn, gave more fuel to the insurers. Biden is considered friendlier to the industry.But within the industry, managed care is the trend. CVS stores and clinics should, over time, give it lower costs for chronic care. Other insurers must pay third parties for this care. That's why I have been recommending CVS for over a year. It's why I finally bought shares for my own retirement account.That investment has delivered a tiny, but real profit, and a dividend yield of 3.3%, easily beating a U.S. government bond. In the present market, which still may be taken down by a second wave of coronavirus infections, that's value worth buying.Dana Blankenhorn has been a financial and technology journalist since 1978. His latest book is Technology's Big Bang: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow with Moore's Law, essays on technology available at the Amazon Kindle store. Write him at danablankenhorn@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @danablankenhorn. As of this writing he owned shares in CVS. More From InvestorPlace * America's 1 Stock Picker Reveals Next 1,000% Winner * 25 Stocks You Should Sell Immediately * 1 Under-the-Radar 5G Stock to Buy Now * The 1 Stock All Retirees Must Own The post CVS Health Beats Estimates, Market Yawns appeared first on InvestorPlace.