Wal-Mart Reportedly In Preliminary Talks To Buy Humana

(RTTNews) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) is in preliminary talks to buy insurer Humana Inc. (HUM), the Wall Street Journal reported citing people familiar with the matter.

No potential terms were disclosed. The Journal cautioned that there was no guarantee that the deal would materialize.

Humana, which has a market value of about $37 billion, would be Walmart's largest deal on record.

The two companies are discussing a range of options, including an acquisition, the report said.

HUM closed Thursday's regular trading at $268.83, up $1.28 or 0.48 percent. WMT closed at $88.97, up $1.20 or 1.37%.

Companies have been trying to address some of the market's inefficiencies by forging alliances or getting bigger.

In December, CVS Health Corp. agreed to buy Humana rival Aetna Inc. in a $69 billion deal. In March, health insurer Cigna Corp. agreed to buy Express Scripts Holding Co., the biggest administrator of prescription-drug benefits in the U.S., for $54 billion.