Despite being the subject of acquisition rumors, WebMD Health said it is not currently in any negotiations to be acquired.
"In light of recent news reports, the company is reporting that it is not currently in any negotiations to be acquired," WebMD said in a press release.
Before the announcement, WebMD stock was up more than 9 percent. Afterward, its stock was down more than 7 percent. Overall, WebMD stock has risen 31 percent since September.
The Financial Times reported the potential acquisition talks with Walgreens Boots Alliance and UnitedHealth Group, among other potential buyers. WedMD looked into putting itself up for sale in 2015, but eventually opted out.
Walgreens has completed several acquistions over the past few months, including the Alliance Boots takeover and the purchase of Rite Aid. The Rite Aid buy is a multi-million dollar deal that still has to complete anti-trust review.
New York-based WebMD has a market value of just under $2 billion. The WebMD Health Network includes WebMD.com, Medscape.com, MedicineNet.com, eMedicineHealth.com, RxList.com, Medscape Education and other WebMD-owned sites and apps.
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.