Honeywell to Acquire Elster, a Global Leader in Gas Heating, Controls, Metering, and Advanced Technologies

Author photo: Larry O'Brien
ByLarry O'Brien
Category:
Acquisition or Partnership

Honeywell announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Elster Division of Melrose Industries plc, a leading provider of thermal gas solutions for commercial, industrial, and residential heating systems and gas, water, and electricity meters, including smart meters and software and data analytics solutions, for approximately $5.1 billion. Elster also manufactures flow computers and regulators for the gas industry. Elster consensus sales for 2015 are estimated to be $1.8 billion. The price translates to approximately 12.6 times Elster's estimated 2015 consensus earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), and the acquisition is anticipated to occur in the first quarter of 2016. The agreement is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory review and Melrose shareowner vote.

Elster employs approximately 6,800 people with major locations in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Slovakia. The company maintains an impressive installed base with more than 200 million metering modules deployed over the course of the last 10 years alone.

There is no change to the 2015 full year guidance Honeywell provided in its second quarter earnings release. Honeywell expects that the dilutive impact of the transaction on its 2016 Earnings Per Share to be minor.

Keywords: Differentiated Gas Technologies, Electricity Metering, Smart Meters, Flow Computers, ARC Advisory Group.

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