Barrington downgrades Vizio, sees few potential competing bidders

Barrington analyst James Goss downgraded Vizio to Market Perform from Outperform without a price target Walmart (WMT) agreed to acquire the company for $11.50 per share in cash. The primary hurdle for closing appears to be regulatory review, but the device market should remain competitive following this deal, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm does not completely discount that prospect of a competing bid for Vizio, but says there would seem to be few potential buyers that would be open to a higher price point and be able to capture the benefits made available in the current transaction.