New York, Feb 14, 2026, 10:59 (EST) — The session has ended; markets are closed.
- UnitedHealth finished Friday’s session up 3.1% at $293.19, leading gains among the big managed-care names.
- U.S. inflation ticked down in January, though services prices proved stubborn, so investors are still betting on rate cuts.
- After closing for Presidents Day, markets resume trading Tuesday. Investors are eyeing Medicare developments and hints from the Fed.
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated finished Friday up 3.1% at $293.19, helping push the Dow higher after a rough week for stocks—and a turbulent period for health insurers.
This shift carries weight, with UnitedHealth and its rivals closely tied to two fast-moving forces: U.S. interest-rate bets and the numbers coming out of Washington on Medicare. Investors run both right into their projections for managed-care earnings in 2027.
Markets are closed for the weekend and won’t reopen until Tuesday, leaving traders to mull fresh inflation figures and lingering uncertainty over insurers’ pricing leverage as medical costs keep rising.
The Labor Department said Friday that consumer prices ticked up 0.2% in January, missing the expected 0.3% rise. Stripping out food and energy, core CPI advanced 0.3%. Year-over-year, the core figure climbed 2.5%—the smallest annual increase since March 2021. “Overall, the data suggest that price pressures remain a little too hot for comfort for the time being,” Edward Jones senior economist James McCann said. (Reuters)
After the report, U.S. stocks ended the session mixed. The Dow gained 0.10% and the S&P 500 edged up just 0.05%. The Nasdaq, pulled down by weakness in major tech names, dropped 0.22%. CME’s FedWatch tool showed traders now put the odds of a June rate cut at 52.3%, up from 48.9%. “Large cap tech stocks continue to be an anchor on the market,” said Michael James, managing director at Rosenblatt Securities. (Reuters)
UnitedHealth led the way Friday, posting a sharper climb than other major managed-care stocks. Elevance Health picked up 3.2%, while Humana rose 3.0%. Cigna finished 1.3% higher.
There’s no trading on Monday—New York Stock Exchange shuts its doors Feb. 16 for Washington’s Birthday. Markets pick back up on Tuesday, Feb. 17. (New York Stock Exchange)
Medicare Advantage is still the key driver for health insurers. The government-backed program, which serves older Americans and some people with disabilities, is administered by private insurers. Back in late January, regulators floated a modest 0.09% bump for 2027 payments to those plans, with a final decision from CMS set for April 6. “People were ballparking this flat rate to be closer to 4 to 5%,” said Kevin Gade, chief operating officer at Bahl & Gaynor, a holder of UnitedHealth shares. (Reuters)
UnitedHealth’s guidance has fueled recent swings. Back on Jan. 27, the company projected 2026 revenue above $439 billion, which actually points to a drop from the prior year. It also said adjusted earnings would come in just over what analysts had expected. All the same, shares tumbled sharply that day. (Reuters)
The rebound, though, doesn’t always stick. Should services inflation start pushing up medical bills—or if the final Medicare Advantage rate notice ends up sticking near the current proposal—investors might quickly recalibrate. Managed-care stocks haven’t exactly shown much tolerance for that level of uncertainty these days.
Eyes shift to Feb. 20, when the government drops the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index — the Fed’s go-to inflation read. Traders want to see if rate-cut bets survive the latest data. (Bea)
