Blackstone said to be among suitors for UnitedHealth-owned Optum UK

(Sharecast News) - Optum's UK operation is reportedly is being circled by a pack of potential buyers, just two years after it last changed hands. According to Sky News, Blackstone is among a group of private equity firms exploring potential offers for Optum's UK operation, which is owned by US healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group.

Optum supplies the electronic patient record system used by the majority of GPs in Britain. The UK business includes EMIS, which was taken over by the UnitedHealth subsidiary in 2023 in a deal worth about £1.2bn.

The takeover was engineered under the stewardship of Sir Andrew Witty, the former GlaxoSmithKline boss who recently stepped down as UnitedHealth's chief executive.

The US-listed company's stock has fallen by more than a third over the last year, leaving it with a market capitalisation at Thursday's close of just under $331bn.

Sky said Bank of America was understood to have been engaged to advise on the sale process.

One private equity source said that UnitedHealth was keen to recoup the 2023 purchase price.

They also said the prospective sale formed part of efforts by Sir Andrew's successor, Stephen Hemsley, to arrest the company's alarming valuation decline.

A spokesperson for Optum told Sky: "We do not comment on market speculation or rumours."

Sky said several other major financial investors were also understood to be in the early stages of exploring bids for the business.

Blackstone declined to comment to Sky.