Ackman says he would short UnitedHealth, profitability ‘massively overstated'

Investing.com-- In a now-deleted post, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman said on Tuesday evening that he would short UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH), calling on the SEC to investigate the firm on claims that its profitability was largely overstated.

UnitedHealth's stock is down 2.4% mid-day Wednesday following the comments from Ackman.

Ackman- who is the billionaire founder of Pershing Square (NYSE:XYZ) Capital- did not take an actual short position in the stock, stating in a social media post that he would short the company if he “still shorted stocks.” Ackman referred to UnitedHealthcare, the health insurance arm of the company.

He claimed that UnitedHealthcare’s profitability was “massively overstated,” especially due to the company denying medically necessary procedures and patient care.

Ackman called on the Securities and Exchange Commission to do a “thorough investigation” of the company.

“I would not be surprised to find that the company’s profitability is massively overstated due to its denial of medically necessary procedures and patient care,” Ackman said in a post on X.

Ackman cited recent claims by a Texas surgeon, Elisabeth Potter, who was allegedly pulled out of surgery by UnitedHealthcare representatives to challenge her patient’s inpatient stay. Porter had criticized the insurer in a video shared on social media.

Porter recently claimed that she had received a letter from the insurer threatening legal action over her earlier criticism of the firm.

UnitedHealthcare was the subject of recent controversy after its CEO, Brian Thompson, was gunned down by an assailant in New York. Thompson's death sparked polarized reactions, with many also calling attention to anti-consumer practices in the American insurance industry.

Ackman has experience in shorting insurers. He had in 2002 taken a short position on Municipal Bond Insurance Association- a bet that paid off five years later as the insurer's shares and debt ratings plummeted during the 2008 financial crisis.

UnitedHealthcare called the statements made by Ackman on social media false and misleading.

"Health insurance has long been subject to significant regulatory oversight and earnings caps. Any claims that health insurers, which typically have low- to mid-single digit margins, can somehow over-earn are grossly uninformed about the structure and strong regulatory oversight of the sector," a UnitedHealthcare spokesperson said in a statement to Investing.com.

(Ambar Warrick contributed this this report)

This article first appeared in Investing.com