HCA, the nation's largest hospital chain, is preparing to file an initial public offering as soon as next month that could raise $3 billion, according to a report by Bloomberg, and plans to interview banks in coming weeks that might underwrite the deal.
The for-profit hospital chain is well-positioned to benefit from healthcare reform, which likely played into this decision, Sheryl Skolnick, analyst at CRT Capital Group, told Bloomberg.
The IPO would be the biggest since March 2008, and would help HCA pay off debt, according to the report. HCA, which operates 163 hospitals and 105 outpatient surgery centers in 20 states and England, has gone from being privately held to public several times in its history. Most recently, four years ago it was taken private in a $33 billion leveraged buyout led by KKR & Co. and Bain Capital.
Read the Bloomberg report on the HCA IPO.