Skip to content

We want to clarify that IG International does not have an official Line account at this time. We have not established any official presence on Line messaging platform. Therefore, any accounts claiming to represent IG International on Line are unauthorized and should be considered as fake.
CFDs are complex instruments. 72% of retail client accounts lose money when trading CFDs, with this investment provider. You can lose your money rapidly due to leverage. Please ensure you understand how this product works and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing money.
CFDs are complex instruments. 72% of retail client accounts lose money when trading CFDs, with this investment provider. You can lose your money rapidly due to leverage. Please ensure you understand how this product works and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing money.

Will Cerner be bought over by US tech giants?

Healthcare tech play Cerner’s share price had ticked higher earlier following unverified rumours that Google, Oracle, Microsoft or Salesforce might be eyeing an acquisition.

Source: Bloomberg
  • Cerner Corp (Nasdaq: CERN) share price dips to US$78.29 per share
  • An unidentified company is said to be mulling a takeover of Cerner
  • Industry watchers believe Google or Microsoft could be among the potential buyers
  • Cerner, which is looking for a new CEO, is positioned for recovery, analysts say
  • Buy and sell Cerner stocks with an IG account

Cerner stock price loses momentum

Shares of Cerner, which supplies healthcare information-technology solutions and tech-enabled services, fell 0.9% to close at US$78.29 on Thursday (27 May 2021).

The stock earlier climbed 1.5% on Tuesday and another 1.2% on Wednesday, following market speculation that it could be a potential takeover target.

Meanwhile, the Missouri-based group is still searching for a chief executive officer to replace Brent Shafer.

As of Thursday, out of 22 research teams, 12 recommended ‘buy’ on CERN shares, eight said to ‘hold’, while two gave ‘sell’ calls. Their average 12-month target price stood at US$81.43, according to Bloomberg data.

Are cloud behemoths looking to buy Cerner?

Cerner’s products include electronic health record (EHR) software and analytics. Its intelligent solutions and tech-enabled services support the clinical, financial, and operational needs of healthcare organisations.

Word on the grapevine is that an unidentified company may be seeking to acquire the healthcare IT provider, according to a Betaville Intelligence report.

Potential buyers could include software behemoth Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT), computer tech giant Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) and Alphabet Inc’s (Nasdaq: GOOGL) conglomerate Google, sources told Betaville.

Betaville emphasised that the market gossip has not been verified. Cerner later responded that it does not comment on speculation or rumours.

Salesforce.com, Inc (Nasdaq: CRM) might be another big-cloud provider that could potentially be interested in Cerner, Bob Evans, a former Oracle chief communications officer, wrote on his website Cloud Wars.

Evans commented that Cerner is a leader in electronic health records. ‘If data is the new currency, it sounds like in the healthcare field, Cerner is sitting on quite the stash,’ he said.

What is the outlook on Cerner?

Recent bullish ratings came from Argus Research, which recommended ‘buy’, and Piper Sandler & Co, which issued an ‘overweight’ call; both analysts targeted US$85 per CERN share.

Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) analysts highlighted that Cerner’s healthcare-sector customers are at the forefront of the Covid-19 battle. The company’s customer engagement ‘appears to be back on track after some early pandemic delays’, they noted.

BI likes Cerner’s visibility on contracts and its potential to ‘execute on long-term cost optimisation and capital deployment efforts as the environment normalises’.

The company is positioned for a recovery, especially as the coronavirus pandemic will accelerate technology change in healthcare, BI analysts added.

For the second quarter and third quarter of 2021, analysts are expecting revenue to come in at US$1.44 billion and US$1.48 billion respectively, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Adjusted earnings per share could amount to US$0.76 for 2Q 2021 and improve to US$0.814 for 3Q 2021, research teams forecast.

Trade today’s hottest assets - from stocks to forex - with IG

Create an IG account or log in to your existing account to get started now.


This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients.

Seize a share opportunity today

Go long or short on thousands of international stocks.

  • Increase your market exposure with leverage
  • Get spreads from just 0.1% on major global shares
  • Trade CFDs straight into order books with direct market access
Learn more

Live prices on most popular markets

  • Forex
  • Shares
  • Indices

You might be interested in…

<h3>How much does trading cost?</h3>
<h3>Find out about IG</h3>
<h3>Plan your trading</h3>

Find out what charges your trades could incur with our transparent fee structure.

Discover why so many clients choose us, and what makes us a world-leading provider of CFDs.

Stay on top of upcoming market-moving events with our customisable economic calendar.