New York, May 16, 2026, 09:03 (EDT)
- Trading on the NYSE is shut for Saturday. The next full U.S. stock session starts Monday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern and ends at 4 p.m.
- UnitedHealth ended Friday at $393.85, losing 1.31% in the session, but gained around 3.7% for the week. In after-hours, shares were quoted at $375.46.
- Berkshire Hathaway said Friday it dumped its UnitedHealth stake in the first quarter.
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated shares are set to open Monday facing pressure after Berkshire Hathaway revealed it dropped its stake in the first quarter. The news hit late Friday and pulled the stock lower after a solid week.
The timing is key here. UnitedHealth was up as investors bet medical costs were easing off for major insurers. But Berkshire’s filing Friday showed a familiar seller moving back in against the trade.
UnitedHealth shares settled at $393.85, falling 1.31%. The day’s range was $390.25 to $397.63. Despite the drop, the stock was up around 3.7% from last Friday’s $379.98 close. In after-hours trading, shares slipped further to $375.46, with lighter volumes after the 4 p.m. bell.
Berkshire’s filing listed holdings as of March 31 and doesn’t say what the firm did after UnitedHealth’s April earnings. Reuters said the step was part of a broader Berkshire portfolio shift, with $15.94 billion in stocks bought and $24.09 billion sold in the first quarter.
Bigger market moves didn’t help. The S&P 500 dropped 1.24% on Friday, with the Dow off 1.07%. Managed-care names were split—Humana up 1.25%, Elevance Health down 1.02%.
Medical cost pressure is still the big concern. Investors now focus on the medical care ratio, which tracks the portion of premium revenue going to medical claims and care costs. That number grew more important as Medicare Advantage sharply boosted usage, tightening margins for insurers over the last three years.
Health insurer analysts are staying cautious. Morningstar’s Julie Utterback told Reuters it’s “a little early to call a victory.” UBS’s AJ Rice said cost trends “appear to be stabilizing.” Leerink Partners’ Whit Mayo pointed to the second quarter as “the test.” UnitedHealth CFO Wayne DeVeydt said investors will want to see “how April and May evolves” as first-quarter claims come through. Reuters
UnitedHealth’s April update offered a bit of support for the bulls. The company posted first-quarter revenue of $111.7 billion and adjusted earnings of $7.23 per share, and bumped its full-year 2026 adjusted earnings target above $18.25 a share. CEO Stephen Hemsley said UnitedHealth is working to “simplify and modernize health care.” UnitedHealth Group
The risk is clear. If Q2 claims data reveal that lower first-quarter costs were due to light flu or weather-delayed care, shares could lose more of the recent bounce. Berkshire’s exit adds another wrinkle, though the filing only shows positions as of late March, not the latest snapshot.
Monday’s price outlook stays uncertain, with a choppy path expected instead of a single direction. Holding at Friday’s regular-session low of $390.25 keeps targets at $400 and the $404.15 high from Wednesday possible. If prices fall through that floor, the $375.46 after-hours mark comes into play. The key test sits further out when investors see clearer data from April and May on medical claims.
