Omnicare, Inc.
(NYSE:OCR) investors are growing increasingly restless with shares
trading near their 52-week low but some investors are upping their
stake. ValueAct Capital increased their stake in the company despite an
investigation by the Department of Justice. It will be interesting to
see if this aggressive investment pays off, but there are many
investors watching.
The Department of Justice issued a subpoena
last week seeking information about Omnicare from the UnitedHealth
Group "under its authority to investigate health-care fraud offenses".
The subpoena called for UnitedHealth to provide all documents
concerning "attempts by Omnicare to steer patients to Medicare
prescription-drug plans".
"We do not believe there is anything
significant related to this review that has not already been disclosed
in our public filings," Omnicare said in a statement. "Our programs
related to the implementation of (the Medicare drug benefit) have been
carefully reviewed by outside legal counsel, and we firmly believe that
we have complied with all applicable laws and regulations with respect
to these matters."
In the end, events like this happen all the
time without justification. A few years ago, the DOJ investigated
online education companies for taking too much state tuition money, but
the investigation turned up nothing. These stocks trade near 52-week
lows and eventually return to their highs if they are found innocent.
Whether this company is innocent or not remains to be seen; however, at
least one investor is showing his cards!
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