Walmart Acquiring Humana Not Likely At This Point, Bloomberg Reports

Walmart (WMT) is in talks with Humana (HUM) for a closer partnership to provide health care to consumers at home and prevent illness, Zachary Tracer and Ed Hammond of Bloomberg reported late last night, citing a person familiar with the matter. Their report follows the Wall Street Journal’s, which said last night that Walmart was in early talks to acquire Humana.

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However, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that while Walmart and Humana have explored a wide range of options including a merger, an outright combination isn’t likely at this point.

Following the Journal’s report, shares of Humana jumped 11% in afterhours trading, or $28.67, to $297.50. Walmart dropped 1%, or $1.06, to $88.97. Other health insurers, including Anthem (ANTM), UnitedHealth Group (UNH), Cigna (CI), Centene (CNC) and Aetna (AET), also saw their stocks rally following the Journal’s report.