UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s third-quarter earnings inched up 1 percent in a rare performance that failed to trump Wall Street expectations.

The nation's largest health insurer also gave a less-than-reassuring vibe to investors by narrowing its 2013 forecast instead of raising it.

The Minnetonka, Minn.,-based company on Thursday raised the bottom end of its previous forecast for 2013 earnings by a nickel to $5.40 to $5.50 per share. UnitedHealth hasn't changed the top end of that forecast since it made its first prediction last November. It normally raises the range a few times during the course of a year.

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