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Hospira (HSP) May Find Itself a Takeover Target

December 2, 2011 8:14 AM EST
Trading at $28.29 per share, the market cap on Hospira Inc. (NYSE: HSP) has now become so cheap that some analysts are beginning to look at the company as a strategic acquisition opportunity, Bloomberg reports.

Due to quality control problems, shares of the world's third largest producer of specialty generic injectable drugs, a $12 billion market which is growing at a rate of 5 percent annually, have fallen roughly 49 percent this year.

An analyst at Collins Stewart claims that shares may go for as much as $60 per share in a takeover, while others believe the FDA warnings may keep large bid offers off of the table.

Bloomberg notes HSP is the lowest valued generic pharmaceutical company in America with a market value over $500 million, shares of HSP closed at 1.46 times the company’s book value on December 1, 2011.

Some potential buyers of Hospira include Fresenius (NYSE: FMS) and Teva (Nasdaq: TEVA) as they both try to gain more market share in the specialty injectable generic drug market.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists said last month that 232 drugs have been under supplied with a majority of them coming from the generic injectables market.


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