Company files IPO

FORT MYERS — Cancer-treatment firm 21st Century Oncology Holdings plans to raise nearly $348 million by selling common and preferred stock to the public, according to a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

This is the second time the company is going public. Formerly known as Radiation Therapy Services, the operator of 185 cancer-treatment centers went public in 2004. In 2008,Vestar Capital Partners acquired the company in a $1.1 billion leveraged buyout and took it private.

The Fort Myers-based company plans to sell 13.3 million shares of common stock between $14 and $16 a share under the symbol ICC on the New York Stock Exchange. Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan Securities and Wells Fargo Securities are the lead underwriters and they will have an option to purchase another 2 million shares.

In addition, 21st Century Oncology plans to sell 225,000 shares of preferred stock for $50 a share. Those shares will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ICC PR. The company says it plans to use the proceeds of the IPO to repay debt and for general corporate purposes.

21st Century Oncology operates 185 cancer-treatment centers, including 150 centers located in 16 U.S. states. The company also operates 35 centers in six countries in Latin America. You can read a recent story about the company's plans to go public and its strategy in the Business Observer.