Who Could Buy Sprint? (S, CTL, VZ, T)

Now that T-Mobile is all but off the table from the A&T T deal, many on Wall Street are looking to see who will buy Sprint Nextel S. Verizon VZ has already said it will not buy Sprint, but what about CenturyLink, Inc. CTL? According to this report from Bloomberg, CenturyLink is seen as a logical partner, due to its financial strength, and lack of a wireless division. Chris Larsen of Piper Jaffray was interviewed by Bloomberg, and said “CenturyLink is a company with a really good balance sheet and looking for areas to invest its capital, its free cash flow in growth. If Sprint can stabilize and then begin to grow its customer base, it becomes a growth vehicle for them.” Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.'s Craig Moffett also seconded the idea of CenturyLink buying Sprint. “If CenturyLink imagines itself as a long-term player in the enterprise segment, they may need to add wireless,” Moffett said to Bloomberg. “You have to put them as perhaps the most likely long- term acquirer” for Overland Park, Kansas-based Sprint. At last check, shares of CenturyLink were up 5 cents to $42.47, while shares of Sprint were up 3 cents to $5.13.