The deadline for a rival bid for HCA expires at midnight tonight and analysts say at this point, its unlikely anyone will compete with the current $33 billion bid. "I don't think anyone is going to jeopardize the (original) offer," Frank Morgan, a stock analyst with Jefferies & Co., told the Tennessean. In late June, HCA announced that it would be acquired [1] by founder Thomas Frist Jr. and a group of investors for $33 billion dollars, making it the largest buyout in Wall Street history. Early on, Blackstone Group [2] indicated that it may challenge the investor's bid for the hospital giant, but it seems as though they were scared away by the price tag [3]. The only other potential player for a bidding war was BC partners--there were reports that the group had plans to bid, but nothing ever came of it.
For more on the HCA buyout:
- read this report [4] from the Tennessean
PLUS: When the deal was first announced, blogger Tony Chen made some predictions about what will become of HCA. Blog [5]
Related Article
HCA's hospital building boom. Report [6]
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/hca-buyout-moves-forward/2006-07-24
[2] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/blackstone-to-bid-on-hca/2006-07-26
[3] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/blackstone-rethinks-hca-bid/2006-08-08
[4] http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060912/BUSINESS01/609120325/1003
[5] http://lists.fiercemarkets.com/c.html?rtr=on&s=69l,lp92,osy,cbm,2fp0,4g4s,1q1x
[6] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/hca-s-hospital-building-boom/2006-08-29