Jefferies ups Hikma to 'buy', says Roxane deal is a "game changer"

29th Jul 2015 11:44

(ShareCast News) - Hikma Pharmaceuticals got a boost after Jefferies upgraded the stock to 'buy' from 'hold' and raised its price target to 2,615p from 2,134p as it integrates the company's "transformational" deal with Roxane Laboratories."In our view Hikma is transitioning to a period of remarkable growth as it executes on recent acquisitions and we expect share price momentum to continue despite the 12% rally," it said, adding that Hikma is now its preferred name in the EMEA generics sector.Jefferies said the acquisition of Roxane, at $2.65bn, is a game-changer for Hikma in the US and provides a platform and pipeline to grow its business with opportunities to create further value from potential synergies and diversify its revenue base.It noted that Roxane has 88 differentiated products across specialised segments which are highly complementary to Hikma's existing US business. The combination will create the number 6 player in the US generics market, from 20 previously, said Jefferies.It raised its 2016 earnings per share estimate by 4% and 2017 by 14%, saying it believes the integration of Roxane combined with solid market fundamentals should improve Hikma's earnings power despite higher interest charges and equity dilution to shareholders.At 11:10, Hikma shares were up 3.6% at 2,405p.