Top 10 Health Care Deals of 2017

Top 10 Health Care Deals of 2017

“Variety” best describes the top 10 healthcare deals announced in 2017. The target companies spanned sectors from Biotechnology and Medical Devices to Managed Care and Other Services. You know the healthcare game is changing when just a single pharmaceutical target made the list in 2017, compared with six of the top 10 deals in 2015. The 10 largest deals total $182.1 billion, and account for 59% of the year’s preliminary deal value total of approximately $310.7 billion. In 2016, the top-10 accounted for 51% of the year’s $256.7 billion in spending. In 2017, a Managed Care target was again the largest target of the year. Unlike in 2o15, when the Big Five managed care companies... Read More »
Top 10 Health Care Deals of 2017

Stat of the Week: Healthcare M&A Spending up 18% in 2017

The year hasn’t ended, and there are still two weeks to go in the fourth quarter of 2017. The holidays are already under way, with more on the horizon. Before we get too busy, here’s a quick look at where things stand in mid-December. Total healthcare mergers and acquisitions reached 1,467 deals as of December 14. That’s only 7% lower than the combined total for all of 2016, at 1,574 deals. Spending on these transactions is already higher. This year’s dollar volume currently stands at approximately $303.9 billion, up 18% compared with last year’s total of $256.7 billion. Much of the credit for the spending rise goes to the largest single transaction announced... Read More »

Deal of the Week: CVS/Aetna

The biggest deal of the year (so far) was announced on Sunday, December 3, no doubt timed to give media outlets a fresh story to begin the week. By now you know that CVS Health Corp. (NYSE: CVS) and managed care giant Aetna (NYSE: AET) plan to merge in mid-2018, to the tune of $77 billion (including Aetna’s debt). The deal was first reported in October by The Wall Street Journal, with talk of $200 to $205 per share for Aetna. The final price is $207 per share in cash and stock: $145 in cash and $62 in stock. Besides being the largest deal announced in 2017 (since 2015, in fact), the unusual combination portends major changes in the U.S. healthcare market. Or not. Skeptics abound regarding... Read More »
Top 10 Health Care Deals of 2017

Stat of the Week: November Deal Volume -30%

Perhaps it was the anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday, or the holiday itself, that caused the sudden slump in deal volume. Too much turkey, too little focus on finishing up those transactions? Or we could blame the Republicans’ mad dash to pass their tax “reform” legislation before the end of the year. Both houses of Congress have passed separate versions of the bill, and are presently reconciling those into one, for a final vote. How that will look at the other end of the sausage machine is anyone’s guess, but once the bill is passed, we may see the floodgates open on pent-up demand in the more global sectors, such as Medical Devices and Pharmaceuticals. This is preliminary data, of... Read More »
CVS, Aetna Lead a Potential Big-Deal Parade

CVS, Aetna Lead a Potential Big-Deal Parade

The fourth quarter, and the month of December in particular, are usually busy times for mergers and acquisitions, and often when big deals are announced. With one month to go in Q4:17, the pace may be picking up. Deal volume through December 1 stood at 231 transactions (-39% to last year’s 379), and $19.6 billion (-49% vs. $38.6 billion in Q4:16). But late on December 3, CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) and managed care giant Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced their $69 billion merger. More mega-deals are in the offing. Possibly. The CVS/Aetna deal was first reported in October by The Wall Street Journal, with talk of $200 to $205 per share for Aetna. The final price is $207 per share in cash and... Read More »