Comcast should bid for $215bn Verizon takeover, says analyst
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Comcast should bid for $215bn Verizon takeover, says analyst

Comcast should strike a deal to buy Verizon Communications as it looks to get in on the mobile industry, according to an analyst from Citigroup.

Verizon

The deal would set Comcast back by around $215 billion, a 20% premium on Verizon’s current share price, according to Citi analyst Jason Bazinet in a research note. A deal would help the cableco extend its presence outside of the home.

Te overlap between the two telcos targeted areas for growth would justify a merger, Bazinet claimed, giving Verizon access to Comcast’s entertainment offerings at a time it is potentially going to have to compete with a merged AT&T and Time Warner.

Verizon’s future has been awash with speculation, with some even linking the US firm with a bid to buy the Walt Disney Company. Speculation has also suggested it could bid for Dish Networks.

“It’s a call Comcast should make … and Verizon should take,” wrote Bazinet. The analyst also noted that the regulatory climate under the current Trump administration may be more sympathetic to large combinations, with a deal between the two potentially generating synergies of around $2.1 billion.

If Comcast was to go down that route, it would face selling off some parts of its existing cable business – around 16% according to Bazinet – where it clashes with Verizon’s FiOS network.

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