BUZZ - Weakening demand causes Align stock to decline; brokers downgrade rating to "market perform"
路透社2026/10/05 11:46October 5 - ** Align Technology (ALGN.O) shares fell 3% in pre-market trading to $139.45 ** Brokerage Evercore ISI downgraded ALGN's rating from "Outperform" to "In Line with the Market" ** The firm cited a "weakening consumer environment," a "sharp slowdown" in September demand indicators, and the potential negative impact of China's volume-based procurement (VBP) in 2027, leading it to adopt a more cautious outlook on Align’s earnings prospects ** VBP (volume-based procurement) is a bulk procurement initiative at the national level in China ** Evercore added that the dental market "has weakened significantly in the third quarter," noting declines in both consumer confidence and expectations ** Deterioration in consumer conditions may have started to affect demand for Invisalign, with Evercore ISI stating that the worsening seen in September "increased the risk that deteriorating consumer conditions may begin to be reflected in Invisalign demand" ** Invisalign is Align’s core business and is projected to contribute approximately $3.2 billions to the company’s total revenue of $4 billions in 2025 ** The broker said early signs of profitability improvement at Align are "beginning to show," but a weak consumer environment and potential VBP headwinds make the process "more challenging" ** As of the previous trading day's close, the stock had declined by about 8% year-to-date.
October 5 - ** Align Technology (ALGN.O) shares fell 3% in pre-market trading to $139.45
** Brokerage Evercore ISI downgraded ALGN’s rating from “outperform” to “in line with the market”
** The brokerage stated that a “weaker consumer environment”, demand indicators in September “slowed sharply”, and potential adverse impacts from volume-based procurement (VBP) in China in 2027 have led them to adopt a “more cautious outlook on Align’s earnings prospects”
** VBP (volume-based procurement) is a national-level bulk procurement program in China
** Evercore added that the dental market “has weakened significantly in the third quarter” and noted both consumer confidence and expectations have declined
** The deterioration of consumer conditions may have begun to affect demand for Invisalign, with Evercore ISI stating that the worsening in September “increased the risk that the deterioration in consumer conditions is starting to reflect in Invisalign demand”
** Invisalign is Align’s core business, expected to contribute approximately $3.2 billion to the company’s total revenue of $4 billion in 2025
** The brokerage noted that signs of Align turning profitable internally (link) “have begun to emerge”, but a weak consumer environment and headwinds from VBP make this process “more difficult”
** As of the close of the previous trading day, the stock has fallen about 8% so far this year
(To facilitate non-native English speakers, Reuters has automated its reports into several other languages. As automated translation may contain errors or may lack necessary context, Reuters does not guarantee the accuracy of automated translation texts and provides them solely for the convenience of readers. Reuters accepts no liability for any damage or loss arising from the use of the automated translation feature.)
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
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Updated Version 3 - According to the Financial Times, McKesson and CD&R are close to reaching a deal worth more than $5 billion to acquire Option Care.
In the fifth paragraph, a quote from analyst Sahil Pandey was added. Reuters, October 5 - According to the Financial Times, citing informed sources, pharmaceutical distributor McKesson (MCK.N) and private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice are about to reach an acquisition agreement to purchase infusion service provider Option Care Health, with the deal valued (including debt) at over 5 billions USD. After the report was published, Option Care's share price rose by 21% in after-hours trading. The report stated that the deal could be announced as early as Tuesday, but negotiations could still fall through. This potential acquisition would be McKesson’s latest move in expanding its healthcare services portfolio. In August this year, the company agreed to acquire Precision Medicine Group for about 2.25 billions USD (link), as part of its effort over the years to strengthen high-growth business sectors. Leerink Partners analyst Michael Cherny said the “strategic logic” of the deal makes sense, as it would expand McKesson’s business from physician offices to care settings in the home and alternative sites. Option Care provides infusion services that allow patients to receive intravenous treatments at home or other outpatient settings, eliminating the need to go to the hospital. McKesson has previously been restructuring its business portfolio by divesting non-core assets and investing in fields such as oncology and specialty care (link). Driven by the growth of its specialty distribution business and contributions from acquisitions, revenue for its oncology and multi-specialty business segment grew by 33% in the latest fiscal quarter. McKesson declined to comment, while CD&R and Option Care did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment regarding the report. (For non-English speakers' convenience, Reuters offers automated machine translations of its reports in several languages. As there may be mistakes in the automated translations or some context may not be included, Reuters does not guarantee the accuracy of the automated translation text, which is provided solely for readers’ convenience. Reuters bears no responsibility for any damages or losses caused by the use of automated translation functions.)
Centalion acquires Hainesville natural gas assets from Silver Hill
Reuters, October 5 - Centalion Group announced on Monday that it has acquired upstream and midstream natural gas assets in the Haynesville region of Texas and Louisiana from Texas-based private shale company Silver Hill Energy Partners. The commodities trader, formerly known as Gunvor, rebranded as Centalion Group last week (link), and stated plans to relocate its corporate headquarters from Cyprus to Singapore. A spokesperson for Centalion Group said the Haynesville platform, composed of Post Oak and Silver Hill assets, has an enterprise value of approximately $2 billion. In August, Reuters cited sources stating that Centalion Group (link) was negotiating the acquisition of Silver Hill's assets, with a deal valued between $1.2 billion and $1.5 billion. The assets currently produce about 300 million cubic feet per day of natural gas (MMcfd), and the portfolio includes approximately 72,000 net acres in the Haynesville and Bossier development areas. "Our consideration was to establish operations in this basin, a hub for both domestic and export markets, in order to seize this option and create value from it," the spokesperson added. (To assist non-English speakers, Reuters offers automated translation of its reports into several other languages. Due to possible errors in automated translations or missing required context, Reuters does not guarantee the accuracy of automated translation texts, and provides them solely for readers' convenience. Reuters is not liable for any damages or losses resulting from the use of the automated translation feature.)
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