European Event-Driven Analyst

Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

Jesús is an Insight Provider (Event-driven) on the Smartkarma network, where he looks across sectors at opportunities arising from securities mispricing (both credit and equity), share classes, bid announcements, prospective bids, and special situations. He has served as Economic and Business Advisor at the Spanish Congress in Madrid. Prior to that, he has worked in the City of London: as a Credit Analyst at Bloomberg; Event-driven associate at former boutique European Research; and doubled as Special Situations and Equity-linked VP (convertible bonds) at Merrill Lynch. Jesús has an MBA from the London Business School, a BA (Hons.) degree in Economics from the Complutense University in Madrid, and a BA (Hons.) in Law from U.N.E.D., also in Madrid.

CD&R/UDG Healthcare: Recommended Cash Offer

Carlyle/Vectura Group: Expectations of a Sweetened Bid

Event-Driven

On 26 May, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ramsay-health-care-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:673:1" rel="noopener">Ramsay Health Care (RHC AU)</a> signed an agreement to acquire <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/spire-healthcare-group-plc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22159:1" rel="noopener">Spire Healthcare (SPI LN)</a> from Mediclinic and others. Consideration is 240p, in cash, adjustable for any dividend or capital distribution at the discretion of the bidder. Mediclinic failed to acquire Spire (at a 25% higher price back then) and is tendering its 29.9% stake.
<div>
Consideration represents 1.9x EV/Fwd Revenue, 10.5x EV/Fwd/EBITDA and 38.9x Fwd P/E. Past acquisitions in the sector have been carried out at a median 11.7x EV/EBITDA. Premium vs. prior trading session is 24.4%.
Ramsay wants to enlarge its UK footprint, and increase the NHS mix in the merged UK operations (thus diversification of revenue as it seems difficult to grow through private payers exclusively). Margins from treatment provided on behalf of NHS are not dissimilar to those from private practice. NHS will have to deal with an increase in the waiting lists due to the pandemic. There is some mention to synergies but those will not presumably come until 2023. There are some issues regarding Ramsay's leverage, although it may need to divest some UK assets anyway to obtain the green light from the CMA.
Spire has been obtaining a ROIC of 3.3% lately, below WACC, which I conservatively estimate at 8.5% in my DCF valuation, so the business is likely to have been destroying value over the last FYs. Scale and better management may be behind the acquisition.
</div>
On the day of the offer announcement, shares in Spire were up 52p, c. 27%, and closed at 245p, above Ramsay’s offer. Ramsay earlier closed down 0.7% on the Australian Stock Exchange. As I Finnish this Insight, Spire is trading at 247p. 
Considering the premium offered, and that Mediclinic will tender its stake, I think interloper risk is unlikely. 
As in the case of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/udg-healthcare-plc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22193:1" rel="noopener">UDG Healthcare (UDG LN)</a> (see <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/cd-r-udg-healthcare-recommended-cash-offer" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:51370" rel="noopener">CD&amp;R/UDG Healthcare: Recommended Cash Offer</a> ), investors may want a premium over 24%, the shares are trading at 247p, c. 3% above the offer. Folks may have been using too high discount rates for UK listed healthcare, as there have been a number of bids lately in this sector (UDG, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/carlyle-vectura-group-expectations-of-a-sweetened-bid" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:52066" rel="noopener">Carlyle/Vectura Group: Expectations of a Sweetened Bid</a>, Spire, among others).
Gross spread is a negative (2.9)%. Recommendation is long SPI LN, TP 256.5p (blended average of comps and DCF), 3.8% upside to current market levels and c. 7% above offer price. Downside risk is limited and expectations of a sweetened bid are high.

On 26 May, Ramsay Health Care (RHC AU) signed an agreement to acquire Spire Healthcare (SPI LN) from Mediclinic and others. Consideration is 240p, in cash, adjustable for any dividend or capital distribution at the discretion of the bidder. Mediclinic failed to acquire Spire (at a 25% higher price back then) and is tendering its 29.9% stake.

Consideration represents 1.9x EV/Fwd Revenue, 10.5x EV/Fwd/EBITDA and 38.9x Fwd P/E. Past acquisitions in the sector have been carried out at a median 11.7x EV/EBITDA. Premium vs. prior trading session is 24.4%.
Ramsay wants to enlarge its UK footprint, and increase the NHS mix in the merged UK operations (thus diversification of revenue as it seems difficult to grow through private payers exclusively). Margins from treatment provided on behalf of NHS are not dissimilar to those from private practice. NHS will have to deal with an increase in the waiting lists due to the pandemic. There is some mention to synergies but those will not presumably come until 2023. There are some issues regarding Ramsay's leverage, although it may need to divest some UK assets anyway to obtain the green light from the CMA.
Spire has been obtaining a ROIC of 3.3% lately, below WACC, which I conservatively estimate at 8.5% in my DCF valuation, so the business is likely to have been destroying value over the last FYs. Scale and better management may be behind the acquisition.

On the day of the offer announcement, shares in Spire were up 52p, c. 27%, and closed at 245p, above Ramsay’s offer. Ramsay earlier closed down 0.7% on the Australian Stock Exchange. As I Finnish this Insight, Spire is trading at 247p. 
Considering the premium offered, and that Mediclinic will tender its stake, I think interloper risk is unlikely. 
As in the case of UDG Healthcare (UDG LN) (see CD&amp;R/UDG Healthcare: Recommended Cash Offer ), investors may want a premium over 24%, the shares are trading at 247p, c. 3% above the offer. Folks may have been using too high discount rates for UK listed healthcare, as there have been a number of bids lately in this sector (UDG, Carlyle/Vectura Group: Expectations of a Sweetened Bid, Spire, among others).
Gross spread is a negative (2.9)%. Recommendation is long SPI LN, TP 256.5p (blended average of comps and DCF), 3.8% upside to current market levels and c. 7% above offer price. Downside risk is limited and expectations of a sweetened bid are high.

Spire Healthcare

Ramsay Health Care/Spire Healthcare