Novartis To Pay $470 million To Buy Pathology Testing Company Genoptix
Cancer Testing and Molecular Diagnostics Are Main Drivers in This Transaction
In a deal with implications for independent clinical pathology laboratories, pharmaceutical giant Novartis (NYSE: NVS) announced that it would acquire pathology testing company Genoptix, Inc. (NASDAQ: GXDX). Novartis will pay $470 million in cash to acquire all the shares of Genoptix.
Although the total amount of $470 million to be paid for Genoptix is nearly one-half billion dollars, one financial analyst who quickly responded to the news believes that Novartis did not pay a premium price for Genoptix. At William Blair & Company, Analyst Amanda Murphy, CFA, wrote that “…the valuation [of Genoptix] is below what esoteric/specialty labs have been sold for in the past (closer to 10 times or more), which might reflect the company’s recent operational issues and/or potential reimbursement pressure from a shift to in-network status with payers.”
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