UnitedHealth Stock Plummets 20%, Dow Jones Drops 500 Points

UnitedHealth Group shares suffered a historic collapse, plunging about 18–20% after the company reported first-quarter earnings and guidance that fell significantly short of Wall Street expectations. The insurer’s revenue, earnings per share, and full-year outlook all missed analyst estimates, leading to a loss of over $100 billion in market capitalization and dragging the Dow Jones Industrial Average down by more than 500 points. This sharp decline sent shockwaves across the healthcare sector, with other insurance stocks and major healthcare ETFs also dropping. While the Dow was weighed down by UnitedHealth’s losses, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq opened higher, buoyed by gains elsewhere such as Eli Lilly’s surge on positive drug trial results. The event highlights both company-specific issues at UnitedHealth and broader concerns about the healthcare sector’s stability amid regulatory and valuation pressures. Investors are advised to closely monitor the situation given its far-reaching impact.