10:04 ET -- UnitedHealth Group Inc. is one of the most talked about companies in the U.S. across all news items in the last 12 hours, according to Factiva data. A federal judge Monday ruled against the Justice Department's antitrust challenge to UnitedHealth's $13 billion takeover of health-technology company Change Healthcare Inc. The judge rejected government claims the deal would unlawfully suppress competition and limit innovation, marking an early blow to the Biden administration's stepped-up antitrust enforcement. UnitedHealth had agreed to sell business assets related to claims-processing to address competition concerns, and the judge in his order required the company to make that divestiture. The ruling means near certainty the deal will go through, though the DOJ can still appeal the decision, Citi analyst Daniel Grosslight said. UnitedHealth shares were down 1.5%, at $515.94, early, while Change was up 6.9%, at $27.24. Dow Jones & Co. owns Factiva. (robb.stewart@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 20, 2022 10:19 ET (14:19 GMT)

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