Merck Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Versum Materials
Merck has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Versum Materials, Inc. for $53 per share in cash. The business combination has been unanimously approved by the Executive Board of Merck and by Versum’s Board of Directors.
“With this transaction, Merck will be optimally positioned to capitalize on long-term growth trends in the electronic materials industry. Our combined business shall deliver leading-edge innovations to our customers around the globe,” said Stefan Oschmann, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck.
Seifi Ghasemi, Chairman of Versum, said: “The Merck-Versum transaction offers compelling and certain value for our shareholders and will provide long-term benefits for our customers and employees. This exciting business combination will create increased scale, product and service depth, enhanced global presence, strengthened supply chain and combined R&D capabilities, driving leading innovation. We look forward to joining together our respective businesses and talented teams.”
Versum is one of the world's leading suppliers of innovation-driven, high-purity process chemicals, gases and equipment for semiconductor manufacturing. The company reported annual sales of approximately €1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) in FY2018, has approximately 2,300 employees, and operates 15 manufacturing and seven research and development facilities throughout Asia and North America. Versum has achieved revenue and adjusted EBITDA compounded annual growth in excess of 10% over the last three fiscal years with industry-leading adjusted EBITDA margins at 33%.
The business combination is expected to significantly strengthen Merck’s Performance Materials business sector, creating a leading electronic materials player focused on the semiconductor and display industries. The business combination rebalances the company’s diversified three pillar portfolio of Healthcare, Life Science and Performance Materials while executing on Performance Material’s previously communicated transformation program.
The combined companies and their customers and employees will benefit from increased scale, product portfolio, innovation and services depth, globally. In addition, with the combined business, the Performance Materials business sector will strengthen its global supply chain.
Merck intends to maintain Versum’s Tempe, AZ headquarters as the major hub for the combined electronic materials business in the United States, complementing Merck’s already strong footprint and track record as a top employer in the U.S. Over the past decade, the company has invested approximately $24 billion in the U.S. through acquisitions alone, including the successful acquisitions of Millipore in 2010 and Sigma-Aldrich in 2015. Versum employees will become an integral part of a leading electronic materials business and will benefit from new and exciting development opportunities within a truly global science and technology company.
The agreed upon price reflects an enterprise value (EV) for Versum of approximately €5.8 billion, implying an EV/2019 EBITDA multiple of approximately 13.7x based upon consensus estimates and a pro-forma multiple of 11.6x including €75 million of identified annual run-rate cost synergies. The business combination is expected to be immediately accretive to earnings per share pre (EPS pre) and accretive to reported EPS in the third full year after closing.
Versum’s Board of Directors, in consultation with its legal and financial advisors, has unanimously determined that this business combination constitutes a “Superior Proposal” as defined in Versum’s previously announced merger agreement with Entegris, Inc., and Versum has terminated the merger agreement with Entegris concurrently with the execution of the definitive agreement with Merck.
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2019, subject to the approval of Versum stockholders at a Versum special meeting, regulatory clearances and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. The applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, for U.S. antitrust purposes has already expired.
The business combination will be financed with cash on hand and debt by way of a facilities agreement with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, BNP Paribas Fortis and Deutsche Bank AG. Merck is committed to preserving its strong investment grade credit rating.
Concurrently with the signing, the previously announced tender offer to acquire Versum common stock has been terminated and the contested solicitation of proxies has also ended.
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