As part of on-again, off-again speculation, Walgreens Boots Alliance shares jumped on Tuesday after reports that a take-private deal with Sycamore Partners is still on the table.
CNBC's financial reporter David Faber said on air Tuesday that a buyout deal for the drugstore chain with private equity firm Sycamore Partners appeared “mostly dead a couple of weeks ago,” but he was now upgrading the deal to “alive," Bloomberg reported.
Walgreens shares gained as much as 15% Tuesday.
Reports emerged in December about a possible buyout deal. The pharmacy giant was in talks with Sycamore Partners for a deal that would take the company private following years of financial woes, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal in December. People familiar with the conversations told the WSJ the deal could come together early this year should discussions prove fruitful.
Walgreens operates more than 12,000 stores across the U.S., Latin America and Europe, including its Boots division.
In late January, reports said that the takeover talks had stalled, causing Walgreens Boots Alliance shares to tumble. Faber said on air his sources informed him the possible deal with the private-equity firm was “mostly dead," WSJ reported.
But Bloomberg reported that Sycamore Partners has been speaking with private credit firms about debt financing for a potential Walgreens deal, according to people familiar with the matter.
Sycamore has been better known of late for smaller deals, the WSJ reported back in December, and the New York-based firm focuses on investments in the retail and consumer spaces. It would likely sell of parts of Walgreens, sources told the outlet, or "work with partners," WSJ reported in December.
Sales increased 7.5% to $39.5 billion in the company's fiscal 2025 first quarter, but net loss in the first quarter was $265 million compared to a net loss of $67 million a year ago.