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Apollo Global Management LLC will buy hospital chain LifePoint Health Inc. for $65 a share, expanding the private equity firm's ambitions in rural health care.
The deal values LifePoint at $2.52 billion, or $5.6 billion including debt and a minority interest, the firms said in a statement Monday. The price is a 36% premium to where LifePoint shares closed on July 20, before news of a potential takeover was reported.
LifePoint will be merged with RCCH HealthCare Partners, an Apollo-owned hospital company that runs 16 regional health care systems in 12 states, according to its website. The combined company will operate under the LifePoint name.
The rural hospital business can be challenging, with facilities closing amid stagnant reimbursements and patient volumes. Yet the facilities are often a key source of care in their regions, and can be enticing for investors like Apollo.
