The great megadeal M&A drought of 2016 just came to an end when moments ago Abbott announced it would acquire St. Jude Medical for $25 billion, roughlya 30% premium to the price. According to the press release, under the agreement, St. Jude Medical shareholders will receive $46.75 in cash and 0.8708 shares of Abbott common stock, representing total consideration of approximately $85 per share. At an Abbott stock price of $43.93(2), this represents a total transaction equity value of $25 billion.
“The combined company will have an industry-leading pipeline expected to deliver a steady stream of new medical device products across cardiovascular, diabetes, vision and neuromodulation patient care.”
This is how Abbott justified the transaction:
St. Jude Medical’s strong positions in heart failure devices, atrial fibrillation and cardiac rhythm management complement Abbott’s leading positions in coronary intervention and transcatheter mitral repair. Together, the company will compete in nearly every area of the cardiovascular market and hold the No. 1 or 2 positions across large and high-growth cardiovascular device markets. This best-in-class combined portfolio will have the depth, breadth and innovation to help patients restore their health, reduce costs for payors and deliver greater value to customers.
“Bringing together these two great companies will create a premier medical device business and immediately advance Abbott’s strategic and competitive position,” said Miles D. White, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott. “The combined business will have a powerful pipeline ready to deliver next-generation medical technologies and offer improved efficiencies for health care systems around the world.”
“Today’s announcement is an exciting next chapter for St. Jude Medical, bringing together two industry leaders with a shared passion for innovation, culture and patients,” said Michael T. Rousseau, St. Jude Medical president and chief executive officer. “Our combined scale will expand the global reach, competitiveness and impact of our medical device innovation for physicians and hospitals. This transaction provides our shareholders with immediate value and the opportunity to participate in the significant upside potential of the combined organization. I’d like to thank our 18,000 employees whose hard work and commitment help us deliver leading medical technologies to patients around the world.”
Regarding the financial impact of the transaction, “the acquisition of St. Jude Medical is expected to be accretive to Abbott’s adjusted earnings per share in the first full year after closing and increasing thereafter, with approximately 21 cents of accretion in 2017 and 29 cents in 2018.(1) The combination is anticipated to result in annual pre-tax synergies of $500 million by 2020, including both sales and operational benefits. One-time deal-related costs and integration costs will be provided at a future date.”
Translation: St. Jude 18,000 employees are about to be “synergized” by a few more thousand jobs lower.
St. Jude Medical’s net debt of approximately $5.7 billion will be assumed or refinanced by Abbott. Abbott intends to fund the cash portion of this transaction with medium- and long-term debt.
Perhaps most surprising about the deal is the absence of Goldman anywhere among the advisors: Evercore is serving as the lead financial advisor for Abbott with Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz serving as legal counsel. BofA Merrill Lynch will be providing financing and also is serving as a financial advisor to Abbott. Guggenheim Securities is acting as financial advisor and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is serving as legal counsel to St. Jude Medical.
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