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August 7, 2019@
DuPont Considers Sale of Biosciences Unit That Could Fetch $20 Billion
The serial dealmaker running DuPont de Nemours Inc. is gearing up for another
$20 billion-plus divestment that could become one of the chemical industryfs
biggest transactions this year.
DuPont Chairman Ed Breen is considering unloading the companyfs
nutrition and
biosciences business, one of its fastest-growing divisions, according to people
familiar with the matter. A sale would extend a dramatic overhaul of DuPontfs
portfolio as it looks to salvage shareholder value in the face of slowing
markets and the U.S.-China trade war that has crimped growth.
DuPontfs current incarnation resulted from the breakup of DowDuPont, the
chemical giant created in a 2017 deal that was the chemical industryfs biggest
merger of all time. Itfs since spun off its Corteva Inc. agriculture business,
which is now worth $22.5 billion as a standalone entity.
A divestment of the nutrition and biosciences division -- which makes food
additives and ingredients -- could help unlock more value for Wilmington,
Delaware-based DuPont, which had a market capitalization of $51 billion at
Tuesdayfs close. The company is now working with advisers to evaluate options
for the unit including a potential sale or spinoff, the people said.
More Spinoffs
It is also considering a so-called Reverse Morris Trust, a merger with another
company structured to be tax-free. Logical partners for that kind of deal could
include Royal DSM NV, Kerry Group Plc,
Givaudan SA and International Flavors &
Fragrances Inc., the people said. Some of the suitors have lined up advisers for
potential bids, the people said.
The nutrition and biosciences unit, which has more than 10,000 employees,
specializes in products from sweeteners and emulsifiers to dairy cultures and
dietary fibers. DuPont has seen particular strength in areas such as plant-based
meats and probiotics.
The division could be worth at least $20 billion on its own based on rivalsf
trading multiples, the people said. Its revenue rose 14% last year to $6.8
billion, making it DuPontfs fastest-growing business after the industrial
intermediates and infrastructure division, according to data compiled by
Bloomberg.
M&A Playbook
DuPont is in the early stages of the review and may opt to not proceed with a
divestiture, the people said. It also hasnft started holding any formal talks
with potential suitors yet, they said. Representatives for DuPont and
International Flavors declined to comment. Representatives for DSM, Kerry and
Givaudan werenft immediately available for comment.
Analysts have suggested DuPontfs chairman may run a similar playbook for the
company as he did when breaking apart DowDuPont. A serial dealmaker, Breen also
engineered the breakup of Tyco International Plc. DuPont has already earmarked
for sale six gnon-coreh businesses with a combined $2 billion in annual sales,
including a unit that makes solar-panel materials, and Breen has said he would
consider more moves.
DuPont has four major divisions big enough to stand on their own, and it could
sell or spin major business units including nutrition or electronics and
imaging, Breen said at an industry conference in May. For tax reasons, DuPont
canft begin holding any talks with other companies until after the two-year
anniversary of the combination that created its predecessor, he said. Dow and
DuPont completed their merger on Aug. 31, 2017.
If DuPont succeeds in divesting the nutrition division, it would be left with
businesses focused on materials for industries such as transportation,
electronics and construction.