>Other (public) businesses in the market?

That. Or, you have been shorting the company for some time, because you know it has been targeted for demolition. A PE takeover is the signal that you no longer need to hedge those shorts; the company, loaded with the debt used to purchase it, will soon go bankrupt, and you will be absolved of closing your short positions, for all practical purposes.

This may not apply to the subject of the article (PE firms buying medical establishments), but it may speak to the character of their new strategy. Perhaps they won't kill this goose because they payer has endlessly deep pockets.