New York, January 6, 2026, 11:46 (EST) — Regular session
UnitedHealth Group shares climbed on Tuesday after a report said buyout firm TPG was closing in on a deal for the insurer’s Optum UK unit, a move investors read as another step in reshaping its health-services portfolio. The stock was up 2.1% at $349.25 by 11:30 a.m. ET.
The timing matters because UnitedHealth is nearing a key reset for investors: its full-year 2025 results and 2026 guidance due later this month. The company has said it will report on Jan. 27 before the market opens and host an 8 a.m. ET call.
Sky News said the outline of a transaction values Optum UK at about £1.2 billion to £1.4 billion and could be announced in coming weeks, though it has not been finalised and could still fall apart. Bank of America is advising on the sale process, Sky reported, adding that the process also drew interest from firms including Blackstone and that TPG could combine the asset with its Nextech electronic medical-record business.
Optum UK includes EMIS, a major supplier of doctor-facing software in Britain. Britain’s competition watchdog said in 2023 that EMIS supplies electronic patient record systems used by the majority of National Health Service (NHS) general practitioners, and it provisionally cleared Optum’s acquisition after an in-depth review.
UnitedHealth’s rally also carried outsized weight in the Dow, where large price moves in a single component can swing the index. MarketWatch said UnitedHealth and Amazon together accounted for roughly 87 points of a 218-point rise in the Dow earlier on Tuesday.
The broader managed-care group was higher as well, with the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund up about 1.6%. Humana rose about 1.7%, Elevance gained nearly 2.0% and Cigna added about 1.2%, according to market data.
Some Wall Street analysts have also turned more constructive into the earnings event. Bernstein SocGen raised its price target on UnitedHealth to $444 from $440 and kept an “Outperform” rating — a call that signals the broker expects the stock to beat the broader market — according to Investing.com, which cited analyst Lance Wilkes calling the company the firm’s “top pick for 2026.” Investing.com
Still, the Optum UK talks are not a signed deal, and divestment headlines can fade fast if terms change or the process drags. For UnitedHealth investors, the bigger swing factor remains what management says about 2026 on Jan. 27, including whether margins and medical costs are stabilising across its insurance and services businesses.
Next up is that Jan. 27 earnings release and guidance update before the opening bell, followed by the company’s 8 a.m. ET conference call.
