Health insurer UnitedHealth, listed in the US leading index Dow Jones 30 Industrial, announced on Friday that it achieved a profit of $22.4 billion (€20.4 billion) in the past year. This represents an increase of eleven percent compared to the previous year.

Reason for the growth were mainly higher revenues in the insurance and service business of the Optum division. But the company also sees profitable perspectives in the new year. CEO Andrew Witty expressed optimism about the daily operations.

However, the increased treatment costs caused negative sentiment among investors. The company's profit was not able to grow to the same extent as its revenue, due to the higher costs.

After a 15 percent increase in revenue last year to $371.6 billion, UnitedHealth is aiming for further growth in the new year and aims to reach the threshold of €400 to €403 billion. However, things look different for profits.

The corporation plans to sell its Brazil business to a private investor by mid-year. This is expected to negatively impact this year's earnings by approximately seven billion dollars, as UnitedHealth already announced at the end of December. However, the adjusted earnings per share are still expected to be between 27.50 and 28 dollars.

UnitedHealth stock temporarily lost 3.04 percent at NYSE, trading at $523.28. The financial market thus reacted negatively to rising treatment costs. Nevertheless, the company remains confident that it will continue to grow in the new year.