Aetna To Acquire Humana In Largest Insurance Deal In History

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In the first moves of some of the nation’s largest healthcare providers, Aetna (AETwill acquire Humana (HUM) for $37 billion in cash and stock, as released on Friday. The accretive acquisition does not come as a shock after the Supreme Court’s upholding of the Affordable Care Act in late June.

Aetna will pay $230 a share to takeover Humana, a 29% premium over the current market price of $190 per share. Aetna is valuing the synergies associated with the acquisition at $1.25 billion in 2018, putting the annual combined operating revenue at over $115 billion and reaching more than 33 million customers. Aetna views the acquisition as a means of strengthening its foothold in the consumer healthcare market. The company believes that it will be able to improve quality and convenience for consumers, all at a lower cost.

Since the announcement, Aetna stock has experienced a harsh sell off. Prices have dropped to $117 a share as of Monday morning, a decrease of nearly 7% in one day. Conversely, Humana has experienced an increase in price to $193 a share, an increase of 2.7% on the day.

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Looking forward, things could get interesting for the healthcare market. Now, all eyes have turned to Cigna and Anthem as the next M&A consolidation in the industry. Taking a look at Cigna’s (CI) historical earnings, Wall Street has consistently sandbagged expectations, allowing for an interesting delta around earnings actual. Below is a glimpse into Cigna’s historical releases.

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This recent acquisition could pave to way to others in the industry. Pay close attention to the earnings reports of these companies as consolidation continues to occur.

Disclosure: There can be no assurance that the information we considered is accurate or complete, nor can there be any assurance that our assumptions are correct.

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