PE Firms Pay Big for Medical Transportation

PE Firms Pay Big for Medical Transportation

KKR & Co., through its portfolio company, is the second private equity firm to pay more than $2 billion for a medical transportation company in 2017. The medical transportation market, falling under the “Other Services” category, has seen a couple of large deals in 2017, as some big name companies decide to change hands. On August 8, 2017, Envision Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: EVHC) announced it was selling its medical transportation subsidiary, American Medical Response (AMR), to Air Medical Group Holdings, Inc. (AMGH), a portfolio company of KKR & Co. (NYSE: KKR). The deal comes more than two years after KKR bought it from Bain Capital and Brockway Moran for an undisclosed... Read More »

PE Buyers Targeting Dental Groups in 2017

Financial buyers in healthcare services are interested in segments with unyielding demand and little medical risk. No wonder, then, that dental groups have become a major target for these investors, and we’ve got the data to prove it. . Dental group acquisitions remain a solid investment. Since 2014, acquisitions have risen steadily. Through August 1, 2017, 19 dental deals have been announced, a 6% increase compared with 2016’s total of 18 deals. This eight-month total is alread 72% higher than 2015’s total (11), and up 138% from 2014’s total (8). Private equity firms are almost entirely responsible for the ongoing consolidation. In 2017, 53% of buyers were private equity... Read More »

LabCorp Lands a Global CRO

In late July, Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH) announced the 6th CRO deal to surpass the $1 billion mark this year. The $1.2 billion deal for Chiltern is its third announced transaction this year, having acquired Mount Sinai’s Clinical Outreach Laboratories (January) and Pathology Associates Medical Laboratories, LLC (February). Despite activity in the Laboratory, MRI & Dialysis sector, LabCorp was on the hunt for a CRO target all year, but with little luck. Back in February, it was rumored that LabCorp was looking to buy Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC for $8 billion. PPD ended up going to Hellman & Friedman LLC, a long time... Read More »

Health Care Deal Volume Slows in Q2:2017, As Dollar Volume Rises

Health care merger and acquisition activity slowed in the second quarter of 2017. Compared with the first quarter of 2017, deal volume decreased 15%, to 366 transactions. Deal volume was also lower compared with the same quarter the year before, down 14%. Combined spending in the second quarter reached $95.8 billion, an increase of 62% compared with the $59.1 billion spent in the previous quarter, according to HealthCareMandA.com. Second quarter deal value was up 8% compared with the $88.7 billion spent in Q2:16. Health care services transactions accounted for 52% of the second quarter’s dollar volume, much higher than the 14% share reported in the first quarter, and the 19% share recorded... Read More »
June 2017 Deal Volume Shows Continued Strength

June 2017 Deal Volume Shows Continued Strength

Preliminary data for the month of June shows that investors are still bullish—or at least comfortable—betting on health care. Some 123 transactions were announced last month, an 11% decrease compared with May’s 138 transactions. Year over year, however, this early data is just 5% below the 130 deals announced in June 2016. For a little perspective, April 2017’s deal volume was just 104 transactions, which made the May numbers look very strong by comparison. June’s deal volume looks reassuringly healthy, as it is close to the year-ago total, and could be adjusted upward in the future as more deals come to light. The same trends we’ve noted in previous months are still playing out, too. Deal... Read More »

2017’s Next Healthcare Trend: Go-Private Deals

Every year has its trends. In 2017, we’ve reported on mass consolidation of CROs and Physician Medical Groups, and a dip in pharmaceutical M&A, to name a few. Another trend we’ve observed is the large amount of going-private transactions in healthcare. In the first six months of 2017, 44 going-private transactions were announced, a 38% increase from 2016 and a 91% increase from 2015. In 2017, 45% of the 44 going-private transactions were initiated by financial buyers, and an additional 21% were announced by private equity-sponsored companies making add-on acquisitions. In 2016, 26% of these deals were initiated by financial buyers, and another 19% were PE-sponsored add-on... Read More »