Why did PPD Inc. (PPD) Stock rise in Premarket?

PPD, Inc. (PPD) stock prices soared on April 14th, 2021, seeing a surge of 12.1% to place the stock at an all-time high of USD$43. Pre-market fluctuation saw the stock increase by 6.49% to reach highs of USD$45.80.

Acquisition by Thermo Fisher Scientific

This sudden spike in PPD stock prices follows news of the company being acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Providing the pharmaceutical and biotech industries with clinical and research services, the deal is valued at USD$17.4 billion in light of the global pandemic resulting in a frenzy of health-care dealmaking.

Details of the Acquisition

Thermo Fisher released a statement on Thursday announcing it would assume USD$3.5 billion of debt and pay USD$47.5 per share of PPD. This price reflects a 24% premium to the price PPD stocks closed at prior to the reporting of this deal.

Future Prospects for PPD

As the pandemic kicks off its second year, the drug-testing sector has taken off and become a focal point of healthcare activity. With the entire world racing towards the development and distribution of new Covid-19 vaccines, healthcare companies are working at full tilt and Thermo Fisher plans to be at the forefront with its recent acquisition of PPD. While working on solutions for the pandemic, the companies maintain their standard business conduct in developing innovative cancer therapies and other treatments.

Healthcare Sector Burgeoning During Pandemic

The pandemic has seen healthcare deals exceeding USD$160 billion in transactions among healthcare companies, which is almost a 300% increase compared to the volume of deals in the same period of the previous year.

Current Ownership of PPD

PPD went public in February of 2020, thanks to investing groups Carlyle Group Inc and Hellman & Friedman. Both private equity companies still own the largest blocks of PPD shares, with Carlyle owning 38% of PPD and Hellman & Friedman owning 16%.

Promising Outlook for PPD

With PPD having already been working on studies for the Covid drug, remdesivir, with Gilead Sciences Inc., as well as on Actemra as a treatment for the pandemic, the future looks very promising. Investors continue to join the rally as PPD stock prices continue to soar.

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