Potential Walgreens merger with drug distributor makes shares price soar
AmerisourceBergen shares surged Tuesday in the wake of a report that the pharmaceutical distributor might be purchased by drug store giant Walgreens.
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Shares were up 13.48% to $101.50 in premarket trading, following a Wall Street Journal story that Walgreens Boots Alliance was looking to ramp up its current stake in Amerisource Bergen to full ownership.
The report, citing people familiar with the potential deal, said representatives of Walgreens Chief Executive Stefano Pessina had made overtures to representatives of Steven Collis, Amerisource's CEO to fully take over the drug distribution company. However, at the moment, the tie-up is just talk and may not lead to a deal, the Journal said.
AmerisourceBergen said that it's policy is "not to discuss any rumors or speculation regarding potential mergers or acquisitions.'' Walgreens also said that it had no comment.