48 Acquisition International - Issue 12 2019 November has once again been a fairly quiet month in terms of the volume and value of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals targeting companies in the healthcare sector, according to Zephyr, the M&A database published by Bureau van Dijk. In all, there have been 133 deals worth a combined USD 3,935 million announced during the period under review. n terms of volume, November’s result represents a decline on the 166 deals signed off in the sector during October, while the figure is down 24 per cent on November 2018’s 176 deals. The same pattern was evident in terms of value as the result is down both month-on-month and year-on-year, from USD 6,189 million and USD 4,117 million, respectively. However, it is worth noting that November has represented a decline on October’s result, particularly by volume, for a number of recent years. This means we could potentially see an upturn in December as we move towards the end of the year. When we look at the whole of 2019 so far, there have been 1,970 deals worth an aggregate USD 58,274 million targeting healthcare companies announced worldwide. Although this is lower than 2018’s 2,314 deals at USD 69,457 million, the result already represents an improvement on the USD 52,047 million invested in the sector across 1,937 deals in 2017, despite there still being a month to go until the end of the year. In fact, 2019’s value is the sector’s third-highest for any year on record, while volume is the second-highest on record. Value for 2019 to date has been significantly boosted by a number of sizeable transactions, with the year’s largest of all so far coming in at USD 17,300 million and taking the form of an acquisition as Centene, via Wellington Merger Sub II, agreed to pick up WellCare Health Plans back in March. This deal alone accounted for 30 per cent of total value in the year under review and was considerably larger than the second-placed deal – a USD 3,348 million private placing of stock by Aier Eye Hospital Group. In all, three deals broke the USD 3,000 million-barrier during 2019 to date, while eight were worth in excess of USD 1,000 million. The largest announced deal targeting a healthcare company in November involved Diagnosticos da America agreeing to pick up Brazilian hospital network operator Impar Servicos Hospitalares for USD 2,449 million. In terms of the world regions being targeted in Q4 2019 to date, North America has been the most frequent, having featured in 150 deals. This is exactly double the amount of deals in which second-placed Far East and Central Asia (75) was targeted, while Western Europe was third with 36. In terms of value, the Far East and Central Asia topped the rankings with USD 5,677 million, boosted considerably by the aforementioned Impar Servicos Hospitalares deal. South and Central America was second, with USD 2,659 million, while North America was third (USD 971 million). In conclusion, 2019 looks to have been a busy year in terms of dealmaking in the healthcare sector, with plenty of big deals being announced and volume and value among the highest for any year on record. More deals are sure to be signed off between now and the end of December, setting us up nicely for a promising 12 months ahead in 2020. Company: Bureau van Dijk E-Mail:
[email protected] Web: www.bvdinfo.com Healthcare I “2019 looks to have been a busy year in terms of dealmaking in the healthcare sector, with plenty of big deals being announced and volume and value among the highest for any year on record. More deals are sure to be signed off between now and the end of December, setting us up nicely for a promising 12 months ahead in 2020.”