Spire shares soar on potential £1bn cash offer from Toscafund

(Sharecast News) - UK private hospital group Spire Healthcare on Thursday said it had received a £1bn buyout bid from Toscafund Asset Management, sending its shares surging almost 38%.

The 250p-a-share proposal represents a premium of about 66% to Spire's last closing price, Spire said, adding that it would recommend it to shareholders if a formal offer was tabled.

Toscafund, which has an 18% stake in the company, has until June 11 to make a firm bid or walk away under UK takeover rules.

In a separate statement, Spire said it trading in the first four months of the year to April 2026 had been in line with our expectations as private patient revenue continued to grow strongly, particularly self-pay; with NHS revenue also as expected.

The company said it expected full-year earnings to be "broadly" in line with expectations.

Spire in January said it was in preliminary talks with investment firms Bridgepoint and Triton regarding a potential takeover, however Triton withdrew in March.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com

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