Shares of UnitedHealth Group Inc. UNH, +2.58% surged 2.9% in afternoon trading Thursday, enough to pace the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s DJIA, -0.56% gainers, as a raised profit outlook by fellow health care services company Humana Inc. HUM, +8.37% provided a boost. UnitedHealth’s stock’s $15.01 price gain was adding about 99 points to the Dow’s price; the Dow fell 99 points, or 0.3%, but outperformed the 0.9% drop in the S&P 500 SPX, -1.13% and the Nasdaq Composite’s COMP, -1.43% 1.2% fall. Meanwhile, Humana’s stock jumped 8.2% to pace the S&P 500’s gainers, and to help support the SPDR Health Care Select Sector ETF XLV, +0.56% to a 0.8% gain, after the company raised its 2022 adjusted earnings outlook to $25.00 a share from $24.75 a share.
