Oncolytics Biotech Inc T.ONC

RE:RE:Biotech M&A is picking back up according to BiopharmaDive

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Barrons December 08, 2023 - Biotech Deals Are Heating Up. Why 2024 Could Be Even Hotter for M&A. 

Biotech deals are heating up as the year comes to an end, and analysts say the hot streak will likely continue in coming months. 

Biopharma M&A had stalled in recent years as the valuations of biotechs plunged. Biotech boards were unwilling to accept offers at prices that valued the companies far below where they had traded during the pandemic-era biotech boom, just a year or two earlier. 

That has changed this year. According to an RBC count, the cumulative value of biopharma deals this year has been $128 billion, up from $61 billion in 2022. 

The large-cap biopharma companies, meanwhile, have plenty of dry powder: According to RBC, they will have roughly $199 billion in cash by the end of the year. Dividends and stock buybacks, the RBC analysts wrote, are trending down, which could imply a focus on M&A. 

“We believe Pharma will continue to be very aggressive on the M&A front,” Mizuho healthcare equity strategist Jared Holz wrote in an email to investors Wednesday. 

Biotechs with obesity, immunology, and cancer assets have been in particular demand this year.

https://www.barrons.com/articles/biotech-abbvie-roche-stock-acquisitions-aa44cb59