11:12 AM EST, 02/05/2025 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with UnitedHealth's ( UNH ) response to Ackman's social media post.)

UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) shares declined on Wednesday following a now-deleted post from investor Bill Ackman on X, saying that he would short the health insurer's stock, while questioning the company's profitability, according to Bloomberg.

Ackman, the founder of Pershing Square Capital, said he would not be surprised to find that the insurer's profitability is "massively overstated" due to its denial of medically necessary procedures and patient care, Bloomberg reported.

"Health insurance has long been subject to significant regulatory oversight and earnings caps," UnitedHealth ( UNH ) said in a statement posted on its website. "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."

UnitedHealth ( UNH ) shares were down 2.3% in recent trading.

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