Private hospital group Healthscope has acquired the 83-bed Hunter Valley Private Hospital in New South Wales for $71.3 million. Healthscope, the nation’s second-biggest private hospital operator, said on Thursday that it would pay for the Shortland, NSW, site with a mix of cash and shares. The company has issued almost 3 million shares at a price of $2.72 a share, worth $8.2 million, to fund the acquisition. The $63.1 million balance will be paid in cash. Hunter Valley Private Hospital was founded in 1965 and has expanded during the past 10 years, Healthscope said. After the acquisition, Healthscope will operate 46 hospitals throughout Australia. It is Healthscope’s first hospital acquisition since returning to the Australian Securities Exchange in an initial public offering that allowed private equity owners TPG and The Carlyle Group to partially exit. Since the July 2014 float Healthscope shares have gained 35 per cent.
