We are somewhat surprised to see Guidant's board support Johnson & Johnson's offer. Recall that this is the same company that thought Guidant was only worth $63 a few weeks ago. Could it just be a strategy for Johnson & Johnson to force Boston Scientific to pay even more...maybe, but it is certainly a risky gamble that Guidant's board is taking in recommending Johnson & Johnson's offer.
At a time when Boston Scientific management should be devoting 100 percent of its efforts to the Guidant transaction, it now also must address the warning letter.
As the offer size for Guidant increases and the relative value of its ICD business increases, we can't ignore the fact that at some point it might make sense for one of the two contenders to take a serious look at St. Jude Medical.
We find this very difficult to believe and would be buyers of ISRG on the weakness.
The warning letter is a clear negative for Guidant and adds to its near-term challenges in its [cardiac rhythm management] franchise.
We would expect BSX to quickly come back with a new bid, but importantly, we do not expect management to increase its debt or offer more equity.
There is increasing chatter that when the in-patient payment system comes out in a couple of weeks, that it will be more controversial than we've seen in prior years.
It might give hospitals some more power to push back on prices.
The company continues to impress on its ability to protect the bottom line in the face of temporary slowdowns in one or more business segments.
Copyright © 2024 Electric Goat Media. All Rights Reserved.