Magellan Health buyout 'reasonable' up to $90 per share, says SVB Leerink

SVB Leerink analyst Ana Gupte says a takeout of Magellan Health (MGLN) "would be reasonable" up to $90 per share based on a sum-of-the-parts analysis. The stock in midday trading is up 10% to $71.28 after Reuters reported that the company is working with Goldman Sachs to gauge takeover interest. Activist hedge fund Starboard Value, which owns a 9.8% stake in Magellan, is likely to be pushing for a management shake-out, margin turnaround and eventual takeout by a strategic buyer such as Centene (CNC), Anthem (ANTM), UnitedHealth (UNH), WellCare (WCG) or Humana (HUM), Gupte tells investors in an intraday research note. The analyst suspects strategic buyers could pay a 25%-35% premium toward a takeout price of $90 to $95 per share post a margin turnaround. Gupte has a Market Perform rating on Magellan Health.