Edwards to sell critical care products unit to Becton Dickinson for $4.2 billion
By Pratik Jain
(Reuters) -Edwards Lifesciences on Monday said it has agreed to sell its critical care products unit to Becton Dickinson in an all-cash deal valued at $4.2 billion to sharpen focus on its heart devices business.
Edwards is no longer pursuing the planned spin-off of the critical care unit, which develops and sells advanced blood and heart monitoring systems that are used in surgical and intensive care settings, announced in April.
"The transaction creates a pure-play structural heart company positioning Edwards for strategic initiatives that could further create shareholder value," RBC Capital Markets analyst Shagun Singh said in a note.
California-based Edwards has been facing fierce competition for its Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) devices, the company's lead product. These devices are used to perform minimally invasive surgery for people with heart valve disease.
Edwards intends to use the after-tax cash proceeds to expand opportunities for its heart devices and invest in new technologies.
The unit, which generated $928 million in revenue last year, also sells other patient monitoring products, sensors and catheters, as well as predictive software and apps.
Becton Dickinson said the deal was consistent with the company's 2025 M&A strategy, which seeks "growth-enhancing and value-creating tuck-ins."
The buyout is expected to be immediately accretive to all key financial measures, including Becton Dickinson's revenue growth, and adjusted earnings per share, it added.
New Jersey-based Becton expects to fund the all-cash transaction with about $1 billion of cash and $3.2 billion of new debt.
The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2024, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain closing conditions.
Shares of Edwards were up 1.6%, while Becton rose about 3% in early morning trade following announcement.
(Reporting by Pratik Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
