June 23 (Reuters) - British healthcare real estate

investor Assura on Monday recommended rival Primary

Health Properties' ( PHPRF ) new 1.79 billion pounds ($2.4

billion) takeover bid that trumps a lower offer from KKR

and Stonepeak Partners.

Primary Health Properties's ( PHPRF ) latest 53.3 pence per

share bid was higher than KKR-Stonepeak's "best and final" offer

of 52.1 pence tabled earlier this month, and at a 47% premium to

Assura's closing price before KKR-Stonepeak's first approach.

Assura shareholders would get 0.3865 new PHP shares,

12.5 pence in cash, and be entitled to

a special dividend of 0.84 pence per share under the terms

of the latest bid, the companies said.

The private equity firms and PHP have been competing over

Assura for months, gradually sweetening their offers for the

company which manages over 600 healthcare properties and counts

Britain's state-backed National Health Service as a customer.

($1 = 0.7444 pounds)

(Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank

Dhaniwala)