
Dianon Set to Soar on Lab Corp. Buyout
The shares are up 16% following the $47.50-a-share pact.
Shares of
Dianon Systems
(DIAN)
were set for a pop at the open Monday after
Laboratory Corp. of America
(LH) - Get Report
agreed to buy the medical testing provider for $47.50 a share, or about $600 million, in cash.
Dianon's shares were up $6.51, or 16%, to $46.70 on the Instinet premarket session.
Lab Corp., which also provides diagnostic services, said the transaction will add 5 cents a share to its 2003 earnings, and said it expects the acquisition to create cost savings of $35 million annually by 2005.
Dianon had 2001 revenue of about $126 million, and revenue of about $141 million in the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2002.