MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) on Wednesday reported fourth-quarter profit of $3.54 billion.

The Minneapolis-based company said it had profit of $3.68 per share. Earnings, adjusted for amortization costs, came to $3.90 per share.

The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $3.77 per share.

The largest U.S. health insurer posted revenue of $60.9 billion in the period, which missed Street forecasts. Six analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $60.98 billion.

UnitedHealth expects full-year earnings in the range of $16.25 to $16.55 per share.

UnitedHealth shares have dropped 2% since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index has climbed 31%. The stock has risen 16% in the last 12 months.

This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on UNH at https://www.zacks.com/ap/UNH

Automated Insights, source Associated Press News