The UK division of UnitedHealth Group‘s (NYSE:UNH) Optum, which operates the electronic patient record system EMIS used by most British general practitioners (GPs), is attracting private equity interest just two years after its acquisition.
Several other major financial investors are reportedly in the early stages of evaluating potential bids for Optum UK.
Sources familiar with the matter told Sky News that Blackstone Inc (NYSE:BX) is among the potential bidders exploring a purchase of Optum’s UK business.
Optum UK, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth, acquired EMIS in 2023 in a deal valued at approximately 1.2 billion pounds.
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The acquisition was led by Sir Andrew Witty, who recently stepped down as UnitedHealth’s chief executive.
The move marked a significant expansion of Optum’s footprint in the UK healthcare technology market.
Despite this, UnitedHealth’s stock has dropped more than a third over the past year. The valuation decline has reportedly prompted interest in a potential sale, with Bank of America reportedly engaged to advise on the process.
A private equity source indicated that UnitedHealth is keen to recover the 1.2 billion pounds paid for EMIS in 2023.
The EMIS acquisition received approval from British competition regulators in September 2023 after a thorough Phase 2 review. Regulators concluded that the deal would not substantially reduce competition in the UK healthcare technology sector.
UNH Price Action: UnitedHealth Group shares were up 0.76% at $363.20 at the time of publication on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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