Shares of Bloomfield health insurer Cigna opened higher Thursday morning following a Wall Street Journal report Wednesday night that a $48 billion acquisition by Anthem could be imminent.
Cigna shares opened at $157.64 at the start of Thursday trading before settling down to $155.63 just after 11 a.m. Shares had closed on Wednesday at $151.07, several hours prior to WSJ’s report, which cited anonymous sources familiar with the talks between the insurers.
The rumored deal would amount to approximately $188 per share.
CNBC reported Thursday morning that the deal announcement would come Friday.
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The deal would follow Hartford insurer Aetna’s announcement earlier this month that it would buy Humana for $37 billion.
