UnitedHealth Group shares climb as Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway discloses stake in the insurer
Berkshire Hathaway bought around 5 million shares of UnitedHealth last quarter, according to a regulatory filing. The stake was valued at about $1.57 billion.
Buffett plans to retire as CEO at the end of the year after six decades of building Berkshire Hathaway. Many investors comb through Berkshire's filings every quarter because they like to follow Buffett's moves.
The filing doesn't make clear who at Berkshire handled the investment. Besides Buffett, Ted Weschler and Todd Combs also pick stocks, but they generally handle smaller portfolios and Combs also serves as Geico's CEO.
Besides stocks, Berkshire owns dozens of companies in a variety of industries including Geico insurance, BNSF railroad, several major utilities and an assortment of manufacturing and retail companies. The Omaha, Nebraska-based company's holdings include many well-known brands like See's Candy and Dairy Queen.
UnitedHealth has been dealing with a series of difficulties. Last month the company said that it was cooperating with federal criminal and civil investigations involving its market-leading Medicare business.
The health care giant said at the time that it had contacted the Department of Justice after reviewing media reports about investigations into certain elements of its business.
Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal said federal officials had launched a civil fraud investigation into how the company records diagnoses that lead to extra payments for its Medicare Advantage, or MA, plans. Those are privately run versions of the government's Medicare coverage program mostly for people ages 65 and over.
The company's UnitedHealthcare business covers more than 8 million people as the nation's largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans. The business has been under pressure in recent quarters due to rising care use and rate cuts.
The Journal said in February, citing anonymous sources, that the probe focused on billing practices in recent months.
The paper has since said that a federal criminal health care-fraud unit was investigating how the company used doctors and nurses to gather diagnoses that bolster payments.
UnitedHealth Group Inc. runs one of the nation's largest health insurance and pharmacy benefits management businesses. It also operates a growing Optum business that provides care and technology support.
UnitedHealth's stock has mostly shed value since December, when UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in midtown Manhattan on his way to the company's annual investor meeting. A suspect, Luigi Mangione, has been charged in connection with the shooting.
In April, shares plunged some more after the company cut its forecast due to a spike in health care use. A month later, former CEO Andrew Witty resigned, and the company withdrew its forecast entirely, saying that medical costs from new Medicare Advantage members were higher than expected.
UnitedHealth's stock jumped more than 12% in premarket trading on Friday. Still, the stock has lost roughly half its value in the past year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Asian shares mostly gain as eyes turn to meetings at the White House and Jackson Hole
BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Monday after U.S. stocks edged back from their record levels on Friday. U.S. futures were little changed as investors watched for developments in the Ukraine crisis following a summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that brought no breakthroughs. Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.9% to 43.776.38, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.3% to 25,344.48. The Shanghai Composite index jumped 1.2% to 3,740.50. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was virtually unchanged, while the Kospi in South Korea declined 1.3% to 3,184.17. Trump was preparing to meet later Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders in Washington. The European vanguard were not included in Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday. They are seeking to present a united front in safeguarding Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow. An annual meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, of top central bankers later this week is also drawing attention. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell is due to speak Friday at the economic policy conference. Expectations have been building that the Fed will cut interest rates at its next meeting in September, though mixed reports on the U.S. economy have undercut those bets somewhat. One report Friday said shoppers boosted their spending at U.S. retailers last month, while another said manufacturing in New York state unexpectedly grew. A third said industrial production across the country shrank last month, when economists were looking for modest growth. Yet another report suggested sentiment among U.S. consumers is worsening because of worries about inflation, when economists expected to see a slight improvement. On Wall Street, UnitedHealth Group jumped 12% on Friday after famed investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said it bought nearly 5 million shares of the insurer during the spring, valued at $1.57 billion. Buffett is known for trying to buy good stocks at affordable prices, and UnitedHealth's halved for the year by the end of July because of a run of struggles. Berkshire Hathaway's own stock slipped 0.4%. Applied Materials helped lead Wall Street lower with a decline of 14.1% even though it reported better results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The focus was on the company's forecast for a drop in revenue during the current quarter. Its products help manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays, and CEO Gary Dickerson pointed to a 'dynamic macroeconomic and policy environment, which is creating increased uncertainty and lower visibility in the near term, including for our China business.' Sandisk fell 4.6% despite reporting a profit for the latest quarter that blew past analysts' expectations. Investors focused instead on the data storage company's forecast for profit in the current quarter, which came up short of Wall Street's. On Friday, the S&P 500 fell 0.3% to 6,449.80. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.1% higher, to 44,946.12. The Nasdaq composite sank 0.4% to 21,622.98. In other dealings early Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil shed 2 cents to $62.82 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 6 cents to $65.79 per barrel. The U.S. dollar rose to 147.38 Japanese yen from 147.18 yen. The euro was unchanged at $1.1703.
Associated Press
8 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Asian shares mostly gain as eyes turn to meetings at the White House and Jackson Hole
BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Monday after U.S. stocks edged back from their record levels on Friday. U.S. futures were little changed as investors watched for developments in the Ukraine crisis following a summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that brought no breakthroughs. Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.9% to 43.776.38, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.3% to 25,344.48. The Shanghai Composite index jumped 1.2% to 3,740.50. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was virtually unchanged, while the Kospi in South Korea declined 1.3% to 3,184.17. Trump was preparing to meet later Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders in Washington. The European vanguard were not included in Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday. They are seeking to present a united front in safeguarding Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow. An annual meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, of top central bankers later this week is also drawing attention. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell is due to speak Friday at the economic policy conference. Expectations have been building that the Fed will cut interest rates at its next meeting in September, though mixed reports on the U.S. economy have undercut those bets somewhat. One report Friday said shoppers boosted their spending at U.S. retailers last month, while another said manufacturing in New York state unexpectedly grew. A third said industrial production across the country shrank last month, when economists were looking for modest growth. Yet another report suggested sentiment among U.S. consumers is worsening because of worries about inflation, when economists expected to see a slight improvement. On Wall Street, UnitedHealth Group jumped 12% on Friday after famed investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said it bought nearly 5 million shares of the insurer during the spring, valued at $1.57 billion. Buffett is known for trying to buy good stocks at affordable prices, and UnitedHealth's halved for the year by the end of July because of a run of struggles. Berkshire Hathaway's own stock slipped 0.4%. Applied Materials helped lead Wall Street lower with a decline of 14.1% even though it reported better results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The focus was on the company's forecast for a drop in revenue during the current quarter. Its products help manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays, and CEO Gary Dickerson pointed to a 'dynamic macroeconomic and policy environment, which is creating increased uncertainty and lower visibility in the near term, including for our China business.' Sandisk fell 4.6% despite reporting a profit for the latest quarter that blew past analysts' expectations. Investors focused instead on the data storage company's forecast for profit in the current quarter, which came up short of Wall Street's. On Friday, the S&P 500 fell 0.3% to 6,449.80. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.1% higher, to 44,946.12. The Nasdaq composite sank 0.4% to 21,622.98. In other dealings early Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil shed 2 cents to $62.82 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 6 cents to $65.79 per barrel. The U.S. dollar rose to 147.38 Japanese yen from 147.18 yen. The euro was unchanged at $1.1703.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Asian shares mostly gain as eyes turn to meetings at the White House and Jackson Hole
BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Monday after U.S. stocks edged back from their record levels on Friday. U.S. futures were little changed as investors watched for developments in the Ukraine crisis following a summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that brought no breakthroughs. Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.9% to 43.776.38, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.3% to 25,344.48. The Shanghai Composite index jumped 1.2% to 3,740.50. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was virtually unchanged, while the Kospi in South Korea declined 1.3% to 3,184.17. Trump was preparing to meet later Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders in Washington. The European vanguard were not included in Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday. They are seeking to present a united front in safeguarding Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow. An annual meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, of top central bankers later this week is also drawing attention. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell is due to speak Friday at the economic policy conference. Expectations have been building that the Fed will cut interest rates at its next meeting in September, though mixed reports on the U.S. economy have undercut those bets somewhat. One report Friday said shoppers boosted their spending at U.S. retailers last month, while another said manufacturing in New York state unexpectedly grew. A third said industrial production across the country shrank last month, when economists were looking for modest growth. Yet another report suggested sentiment among U.S. consumers is worsening because of worries about inflation, when economists expected to see a slight improvement. On Wall Street, UnitedHealth Group jumped 12% on Friday after famed investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said it bought nearly 5 million shares of the insurer during the spring, valued at $1.57 billion. Buffett is known for trying to buy good stocks at affordable prices, and UnitedHealth's halved for the year by the end of July because of a run of struggles. Berkshire Hathaway's own stock slipped 0.4%. Applied Materials helped lead Wall Street lower with a decline of 14.1% even though it reported better results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The focus was on the company's forecast for a drop in revenue during the current quarter. Its products help manufacture semiconductors and advanced displays, and CEO Gary Dickerson pointed to a 'dynamic macroeconomic and policy environment, which is creating increased uncertainty and lower visibility in the near term, including for our China business.' Sandisk fell 4.6% despite reporting a profit for the latest quarter that blew past analysts' expectations. Investors focused instead on the data storage company's forecast for profit in the current quarter, which came up short of Wall Street's. On Friday, the S&P 500 fell 0.3% to 6,449.80. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.1% higher, to 44,946.12. The Nasdaq composite sank 0.4% to 21,622.98. In other dealings early Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil shed 2 cents to $62.82 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 6 cents to $65.79 per barrel. The U.S. dollar rose to 147.38 Japanese yen from 147.18 yen. The euro was unchanged at $1.1703. Elaine Kurtenbach, The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
