The company also unveiled a new Public Responsibility Committee and appointed former Vanguard chief executive F. William McNabb as lead independent director.
Retail investor chatter around UnitedHealth Group surged on Wednesday after a series of developments spanning politics, governance, regulation, and Wall Street brought the health insurer into sharp focus.
UNH was among the top 20 most active tickers on Stocktwits by late Wednesday.
Filings with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics revealed U.S. President Donald Trump has acquired more than $100 million in bonds since taking office, including between $500,000 and $1 million each in UnitedHealth, T-Mobile US, and Home Depot.
Trump also reportedly bought between $250,000 and $500,000 in Meta bonds.
The precise value of his purchases is unclear as filings only require broad ranges, but even the lowest estimates place his total investments above the $100 million mark.
At the same time, UnitedHealth announced a significant governance overhaul. The board created a new Public Responsibility Committee to oversee financial, regulatory, and reputational risks, including underwriting, forecasting, mergers and acquisitions, and regulatory relationships.
Michele Hooper will chair the new committee, with Charles Baker, Timothy Flynn, and Paul Garcia serving as members. Hooper, who had been lead independent director, was succeeded in that role by William McNabb, a director since 2018 and former chairman and chief executive of Vanguard.
Regulatory pressures also intensified at the state level. UnitedHealth and rival Elevance Health notified Colorado regulators that they plan to exit some individual Affordable Care Act plans in 2026, potentially forcing 96,000 people to find new coverage, Bloomberg reported.
Michael Conway, Colorado’s insurance commissioner, said the exits highlight instability in ACA marketplaces already hit by rising medical costs and strict enrollment rules.
He warned that without an extension of federal tax credits set to expire next year, consumers could face “devastatingly high rate increases.” About 300,000 people in the state hold individual market plans, with one-third at risk if subsidies lapse.
On Wall Street, Morgan Stanley lowered its price target for UnitedHealth to $325 from $342, while keeping an ‘Overweight’ rating.
The firm cited a more prolonged turnaround story but said its illustrative bridge to 2027 EPS points to potential upside to Street estimates, while acknowledging key variables in Medicare Star ratings and possible regulatory and reimbursement shifts.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for UNH was ‘extremely bullish’ amid ‘high’ message volume.
One user suggested that more institutional buying in UnitedHealth could be on the way.
Another user emphasized their long position, dismissing bearish forecasts that the stock would drop to lower levels and instead pointing to the strength of a $65 rally in less than two weeks.
A third user projected that the shares could rise to $350 by September.
UNH stock has risen 22% so far in 2025.
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