It has been a punishing period for UnitedHealth, starting in December when executive Brian Thompson was targeted outside of a New York City hotel and killed. While unrelated to the financial operations of the $340 billion healthcare giant, its shares have tumbled severely since the attack.
UnitedHealth cut its 2025 forecast last month following its first quarterly earnings miss in more than a decade.
On Tuesday the company withdrew that financial forecast entirely, saying that medical costs from new Medicare Advantage members were higher than expected.
Shares of UnitedHealth, which have plummeted 38% since the deadly Dec. 4 ambush of Thompson in midtown Manhattan, fell more than 16% Tuesday to levels last seen almost five years ago.
Other big insurers tumbled as well, with Elevance, Humana and Cigna falling between 4% and 7%.
There are many factors that have caused companies to lose value in the last few months, I am curious where UHC would be without this killing though. It’s interesting that they saw their first quarterly earnings miss in over ten years. It’s hard not to assume that Thompson’s death contributed to the company’s current issues directly.
AP News: UnitedHealth Group CEO steps down as company lowers, then withdraws financial outlook for 2025
There are many factors that have caused companies to lose value in the last few months, I am curious where UHC would be without this killing though. It’s interesting that they saw their first quarterly earnings miss in over ten years. It’s hard not to assume that Thompson’s death contributed to the company’s current issues directly.