(Reuters) – British private hospital group Spire Healthcare said on Thursday it had initiated discussions with several parties to explore strategic options, including a potential sale of the company.
The company said the review was at an early stage, emphasizing that no decision had been made to pursue any specific option and that it had not received any approaches nor was it currently in discussions regarding a possible sale.
Spire said it was working with lead financial adviser Rothschild & Co and would assess measures to enhance long-term shareholder value. The company noted that its property and asset base were not fully reflected in its market valuation.
The company’s statement came after a Sky News report on Wednesday suggested some of Spire’s investors, including activist trust Achilles, part of Harwood Capital Management, had encouraged it to consider a sale.
Spire, with a market valuation of 871.97 million pounds ($1.18 billion), according to LSEG data, operates 38 hospitals and more than 50 clinics, medical centers and consulting rooms across England, Wales and Scotland.
($1 = 0.7380 pounds)
(Reporting by Harshita Meenaktshi in Bengaluru; Editing by Mohammed Safi Shamsi)
