<p>MINNETONKA, Minn. — UnitedHealth profits jumped about 44% in the first quarter and the nation’s largest health insurer boosted its outlook for the year. </p>
<p>The company said Thursday that the performance of its Optum division was particularly strong. </p>
<p>The Minnetonka, Minnesota, company raised its full year earnings outlook to $17.15 to $17.65 per share, and adjusted earnings to $18.10 to $18.60 per share. </p>
<p>That projection includes a potential downside per-share of $1.80 due to the continuing influence of the pandemic. </p>
<p>UnitedHealth Group Inc. posted quarterly earnings of $4.86 billion, or $5.08. Earnings, adjusted for amortization costs, were $5.31 per share, easily topping Wall Street’s per-share expectations of $4.42, according to a survey by Zacks Investment Research.</p>
<p>The largest U.S. health insurer posted revenue of $70.2 billion, and that too topped projections.</p>
<p>Shares are up slightly before the opening bell Thursday. </p>
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<p>A portion of this story was generated by Automated Insights (<a href="http://automatedinsights.com/ap">http://automatedinsights.com/ap</a>) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on UNH at <a href="https://www.zacks.com/ap/UNH">https://www.zacks.com/ap/UNH</a></p>
