UPDATE: Jefferies Raises PT on Aetna Following Coventry Acquisition

In a report published Thursday, Jefferies analyst David Windley reiterated a Buy rating on Aetna (NYSE: AET), and raised the price target from $69.00 to $74.00.

In the report, Jefferies noted, “We are raising our EPS projections to reflect the Coventry acquisition by 5-10c more than accretion guidance of $0.45-0.90 in 2014-15. The company's diversified business, strong execution, modest exposure to Exchange risk, and low-to-mid teens EPS growth make AET our favorite MCO. At 9.5x 2014E EPS, AET is second cheapest in the group with the most attractive risk/reward profile. Raising our PT to $74.”

Aetna closed on Wednesday at $60.29.