UnitedHealth Group shares tumbled 22.4% on Thursday after the company posted weaker-than-expected quarterly results and lowered its full-year profit guidance. The decline was attributed to rising medical costs, triggering a sharp market reaction. It marked the steepest drop of the day in both the Dow Jones and S&P 500 indexes. Other health insurers were also hit, with Humana shares falling 7.4%.
The S&P 500 ended the session up 0.1%, the Nasdaq dipped 0.1%, and the Dow fell 1.3%. Markets were closed on Friday in observance of Good Friday. The top gainer was Eli Lilly, whose shares surged 14.4% after the company announced promising clinical trial results for its weight-loss pill, orforglipron, which it plans to submit for FDA approval next year.
Dollar Tree shares climbed 8.1% after analysts at Citi upgraded the stock, citing the retailer’s potential to benefit from new tariffs. Oil prices rose for a second day following new U.S. sanctions on Iran’s energy sector, lifting energy stocks like Diamondback Energy (+5.7%) and Halliburton (+5.1%).
Among the day’s biggest losers was Global Payments, which fell 17.4% after announcing its acquisition of Worldpay. Despite the deal’s promise of global expansion, investors reacted cautiously. Meanwhile, FIS shares — a former Worldpay stakeholder — gained 8.7%. Snap-On shares fell 8% after the company cited weakening demand amid economic uncertainty in its earnings report.