CVS is reportedly considering buying health insurance giant Aetna for $66 billion
CVS Health, the retail pharmacy giant, is in talks to purchase Aetna, one of the five large publicly-trade health insurance companies, according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal reported that CVS offered more than $200 per share of Aetna, which was currently at $160 a share before the news broke.
Aetna previously agreed to buy rival insurer Humana for $37 billion, but that deal was blocked by the Department of Justice. A judge ruled in favor of the DOJ in January, saying that the combination of the two companies would have been anti-competitive.
Following the news, Aetna shares jumped just over 12% to $180.70 a share as of 4:00 p.m. ET. CVS shares slipped by rouhgly 3.6% to $72.81 a share.