Shares of UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH ) were up on Wednesday morning following the release of its fourth quarter financial results.

UNH’s Earnings in Brief

• UNH posted earnings of $1.510 billion, or $1.55 per share, compared to $1.427 billion, or $1.41 per share, last year.
• Revenue rose to $33.43 billion from $31.12 billion a year ago.
• On average, analysts expected to see EPS of $1.50 and $31.11 billion in revenue.
• Looking ahead, the company expects to see FY2015 earnings between $6.00 and $6.25 per share and revenue between $140.5 billion and $141.5 billion. Analysts expect to see EPS of $6.17 and $140.90 billion in revenue.

CEO Commentary

Stephen Hemsley, CEO, commented: “We enter 2015 with a positive outlook and rising business momentum. Steady innovation and year by year advances in the quality, breadth and value of our services to employers, government sponsors, consumers and care providers are creating opportunities for revenue and earnings growth in traditional and new markets.”

UNH’s Dividend

UNH paid its last 37.5 cent dividend on December 16. We expect the company to declare its next dividend in February.

Stock Performance

Shares of UNH were up $1.39, or 1.32%, during pre-market trading Wednesday.

Click here to see the complete history of UNH dividends.

The Bottom Line

UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH ) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.