That $6.8 billion is also comparatively small to other deals that IHF constituents have engaged in. For example, UnitedHealth agreed to acquire Catamaran for $12.8 billion in cash earlier this year. In 2012, Express Scripts (NasdaqGM: ESRX), IHF’s second-largest holding, sealed a $29 billion acquisition of Medco. [Small Deal Doesn’t Move Healthcare Providers ETFs]
In May, Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), also a member of IHF’s lineup, was rumored to be a takeover after reportedly hiring Goldman Sachs to explore a sale.
Attention will now likely shift to Cigna as a potential target for UnitedHealth. Those are IHF’s largest and fourth-largest holdings, combining for 18.5% of the ETF’s weight. XHS devotes 4.2% of its weight to Cigna and UnitedHealth.
iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF
