** UnitedHealth Group UNH.N said on Tuesday CEO Andrew Witty resigned, and the company suspended its annual forecast due to surging medical costs, sending its shares plunging nearly 18% to a four-year low
** Chairman Stephen Hemsley, 72, who was CEO before stepping down in 2017, will assume the CEO title once again
UNH'S HALO COULD BE SEVERELY DAMAGED
** Baird Equity Research ("Outperform", PT: $356) says by pulling annual forecast with no clarity on the magnitude of potential revision, investors are now placed in high uncertainty for an unknown period of time
** Deutsche Bank ("Buy", PT: $362) fears that "UNH's halo could be severely damaged", and it could take years for the company to return to its premium valuation relative to other peers – "if it can get back there at all"
** Brokerage adds the company's greater visibility compared to its peers seems to have dissipated
** KeyBanc Capital Markets ("Overweight", PT: $450) thinks the issues negatively impacting 2025 should be fixable for 2026, but rebuilding investor confidence will take time
** Oppenheimer ("Outperform", PT: $400) says while the outlook for 2025 remains unclear, the timing of these issues should allow for margin recapture in 2026
(Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru)
((Sriparna.Roy@thomsonreuters.com;))
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