UnitedHealth Group (UNH) abruptly canceled its Investor Day presentation shortly after it began this morning following media reports that the CEO of its insurance unit had been fatally shot.
Brian Thompson, who had led UNH's insurance segment since 2021, was shot in midtown Manhattan around 6:45 am Eastern Time on Wednesday morning, according to CNBC. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition but was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
UNH's Investor Day presentation had begun at 8:00 am Eastern Time in New York City, but quickly came to a close.
"I'm afraid that we – some of you may know we're dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members," UnitedHealth Group staff said during the presentation, according to the transcript obtained by CNBC. "And as a result, I'm afraid we’re going to have to bring to a close the event today, which I'm sure you'll understand."
Ahead of the presentation, UNH provided its outlook for fiscal 2025, calling for revenue in the range of $450 billion to $455 billion and earnings per share between $29.50 to $30.00.
"Overall, the outlook is in-line with expectations and represents a solid starting point for a company that guides conservatively, though the devil will be in the details," said Oppenheimer analyst Michael Wiederhorn, who has an Outperform (Buy) rating on the Dow Jones stock.
Where does Wall Street stand on UnitedHealth?
In fact, most of Wall Street is already bullish on the blue chip stock, even as its lagged the broad market this year. Indeed, shares of UNH are up 16% since the start of 2024 on a total return basis (price change plus dividends) basis vs the S&P 500's 28.5% gain.
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, the average analyst target price for UNH stock is $629.19, representing implied upside of nearly 3% to current levels. Additionally, the consensus recommendation is Strong Buy.
Financial services firm UBS Global Research is one of the more bullish outfits on UNH stock with a Buy rating and $650 price target.
"Following the election, a Trump presidency is likely to be favorable to Medicare Advantage with higher rate updates and less regulation," says UBS analyst AJ Rice. "This puts UNH at the forefront to benefit the most as it gains market share in 2025 while remaining in its target margin range for MA. Additionally, a Republican administration is likely to be more lenient towards anti-trust, allowing UNH to have more acquisition opportunities long term."
