Cigna Group stock was falling sharply after the health insurer missed quarterly earnings estimates and issued light guidance amid higher medical costs. Cigna stock dropped 9% to $276 in premarket trading Thursday.
Cigna forecast annual profit below Wall Street expectations on Thursday and missed estimates for the fourth quarter, as high-cost claims in employer-sponsored plans drove up expenses in its backup insurance product.
Shares of Cigna ( CI -8.00%) were dropping Thursday. The stock was down 8.4% as of 1:20 p.m. ET but had lost as much as 11.3% earlier in the day. The leg down comes as the S&P 500 gained 0.2% and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.2%.
Cigna blamed lower-than-expected fourth-quarter returns on its stop-loss insurance business that insures employers from catastrophically high medical claims.
Fresh off underperforming Wall Street’s expectations in the fourth quarter, Cigna said it would work to lower costs for its customers amid widespread discontent with the healthcare system.
Cantor Fitzgerald lowered the firm’s price target on Cigna (CI) to $350 from $400 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. Cantor is
Shares of Cigna Group slid after the health insurer warned that higher health-care costs in one insurance unit weighed on profitability. Insurers saw profit margins soar in the pandemic as insurees sought out fewer discretionary medical services.
Check out this morning’s top movers from around Wall Street, compiled by The Fly. Invest with Confidence: Follow TipRanks' Top Wall Street
Cigna reported fourth-quarter revenue of $65.68 billion, beating analyst estimates of $63.36 billion, according to Benzinga Pro. The company reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $6.64 per share,
Cigna Group plans to make changes to help lower out-of-pocket cost of prescription drugs, the company said on Wednesday, as it responds to criticism over the role of its pharmacy benefit manager in driving up drug costs.
The average estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $7.83 per share. The health insurer posted revenue of $65.65 billion in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $65.