Karuna Therapeutics Inc . (NASDAQ:KRTX) was downgraded by analysts at Leerink Partners, H.C. Wainwright and Maxim Group on Tuesday following news that the company will be acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) for a total value of $14 billion or $330 per share in cash.
Leerink analysts raised the price target for the stock from $270 to $330 and downgraded KRTX from Outperform to Market Perform in a note.
Analysts explained that their firm expects the stock to trade based on deal dynamics and no longer on fundamentals. "We don’t believe it’s likely that
another player will come in at a higher price, and we don’t expect FTC pushback," they wrote.
H.C Wainwright's analysts downgraded the stock to Neutral from Buy, raising the price target to $330 from $300 per share to reflect the acquisition price. Analysts said BMY "is an attractive acquirer for Karuna" based on its longstanding track record of success in developing and commercializing neuroscience-focused drugs— particularly Abilify.
Maxim Group's analysts lowered the firm's rating for KRTX to Hold, removing its price target for the stock. The firm feels that based on the terms of the deal, KRTX is fairly valued.