UnitedHealth Stock Pops on Buffett’s Berkshire Share Purchase

UnitedHealth Group shares jumped Friday after Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway disclosed it had purchased 5 million shares last quarter, Anjalee Khemlani reported for Yahoo Finance.

News of Berkshire’s investment sent UnitedHealth's shares up 12%. (Photo: Chad Davis Wikimedia Commons)

The health insurer has struggled in recent years with earnings misses and setbacks, leaving the stock down more than 45% year to date. News of Berkshire’s investment sent shares up 12%.

Berkshire last held a stake in UnitedHealth during Stephen Hemsley’s tenure as CEO from 2006 to 2017. Hemsley returned to the role in May after Andrew Witty stepped down following a turbulent year.

In 2024, UnitedHealth suffered one of the largest cyberattacks in history at its Change Healthcare subsidiary, which disrupted payments to providers for months until the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services intervened.