Monday, December 16, 2013

Seeking Alpha: Valeant Adds Solta Medical To Its Dermatology Franchise

While it's better to be right, experienced investors know better than to throw away a lucky break. My Alpha-Rich call to buy Solta Medical (SLTM) around $2.30 is not going to go down as one of my favorite picks. While I discussed at some length the risks that ongoing execution issues would keep Solta from reaching its potential, I thought management was close to turning the corner. As it turns out, management found still more corners and this was an exceedingly "meh" pick (down about 8%).

Then along came Valeant (VRX) to save the day.

Valeant and Solta Medical announced on Monday that they had reached an agreement whereby Valeant will acquire the company for $2.92 a share in cash, or a total deal value of $250 million. With this deal, Valeant adds dermatology and aesthetics assets that I believe are better than they appear, while Solta's board gives shareholders an exit strategy with some modicum of grace. Assuming investors who bought around $2.30 sell out at the stated price, they'll get an absolute return of almost 27% and an annualized return of close to 59% - not so bad for a story that was not really developing as I'd hoped.

Follow this link for the full article:
Valeant Adds Solta Medical To Its Dermatology Franchise.

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