Shares of UnitedHealth Group are surging before the market open Friday as Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway disclosed that it recently purchased shares of the beleaguered insurer.

Key Takeaways UnitedHealth Group shares surged Friday after Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway revealed a stake in the embattled healthcare giant.After bottoming at the start of August, the stock has continued to gain momentum,

Year to date, the stock has fallen by nearly 45%, which is by no means normal for the healthcare stock. In fact, this is the worst it has performed since the Great Recession, when it tumbled by more than 54% in 2008.

UnitedHealth Group ($UNH) has had a rough year, with shares down about 45% so far. The drop comes from higher costs in its Medicare Advantage

The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened at its first all-time high of the year on Friday as shares of health care giant UnitedHealth Group soared.

UnitedHealth's yield is typically less than 2%, but nowadays, it's well over 3%. The stock experienced a steep decline in value this year as its financials underwhelmed investors. Rising costs, utilization rates,

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and other major stock indexes traded sharply mixed Friday as Wall Street reacted to the U.S. retail sales report. Meanwhile, UnitedHealth GroupUNH soared on the stock market today after famed investor Warren Buffett disclosed a new position.

U.S. equities were mixed at midday following the release of the July retail sales report, which came in as expected.