Fortive to Acquire EA Elektro-Automatik, an Industry-leading Provider of Electronic Test & Measurement Solutions

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  • $1.45 billion purchase price, net of tax benefit, represents mid-teens projected 2024 EBITDA multiple; expected to be accretive to core growth and adjusted gross and operating margins
  • Expands leading position in electronic test & measurement, poised to benefit from anticipated multi-decade, multi-industry market expansion
  • Addition of EA enhances Fortive’s durable, high-growth compounding profile with anticipated high-single digit ROIC in Year 3 and double-digit ROIC Year 5, with potential upside from working capital synergies

EVERETT, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fortive Corporation (“Fortive”) (NYSE: FTV) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire EA Elektro-Automatik Holding GmbH (EA), a leading supplier of high-power electronic test solutions for energy storage, mobility, hydrogen, and renewable energy applications, for $1.45 billion in cash, net of $215 million of tax benefits from Bregal Unternehmerkapital. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to close in early first quarter of 2024.

James A. Lico, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fortive, said, “We are pleased to announce our agreement to acquire EA Elektro-Automatik to enhance our leading position in electronic test and measurement, helping to enable the global energy transition. This acquisition will further position Fortive in multi-decade, multi-industry, high growth markets, leveraging Tektronix’s global franchise and the power of the Fortive Business System to create unparalleled value for customers and shareholders.”

Fortive expects to finance the acquisition with available cash and debt financing. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to adjusted gross and operating margins and neutral to modestly accretive to adjusted diluted net earnings per share in fiscal 2024.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as financial advisors and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer served as legal counsel to Fortive.

Fortive will discuss the transaction in more detail on its previously announced third quarter 2023 earnings conference call, scheduled for Wednesday, October 25, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. ET.

ABOUT FORTIVE

Fortive is a provider of essential technologies for connected workflow solutions across a range of attractive end-markets. Fortive’s strategic segments - Intelligent Operating Solutions, Precision Technologies, and Advanced Healthcare Solutions - include well-known brands with leading positions in their markets. The company’s businesses design, develop, service, manufacture, and market professional and engineered products, software, and services, building upon leading brand names, innovative technologies, and significant market positions. Fortive is headquartered in Everett, Washington and employs a team of more than 18,000 research and development, manufacturing, sales, distribution, service and administrative employees in more than 50 countries around the world. With a culture rooted in continuous improvement, the core of our company’s operating model is the Fortive Business System. For more information please visit: www.fortive.com.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements in this release that are not strictly historical, including statements regarding the proposed acquisition, the anticipated timing and terms of the acquisition, future product solutions, future financial and operational impact or results of the acquisition, the anticipated financial performance for Fortive or EA Elektro-Automatik, the anticipated prospects of EA Elektro-Automatik or the industry following the acquisition, anticipated return on investment, future growth opportunities following the acquisition, future synergy, financing and any other statements regarding events or developments that Fortive expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by such forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. These factors include, among other things: : deterioration of or instability in the economy, the markets we serve, international trade policies, the condition of the financial markets and the banking systems, security breaches or other disruptions of our information technology systems, the spread of, and the future resurgence of COVID-19, our ability to adjust purchases, supply chain management, and manufacturing capacity to reflect market conditions and customer demand, reliance on sole sources of supply, changes in relations with China, contractions or lower growth rates and cyclicality of markets we serve, competition, changes in industry standards and governmental regulations, our ability to recruit and retain key employees, our ability to successfully identify, consummate, integrate and realize the anticipated value of appropriate acquisitions and successfully complete divestitures and other dispositions, our ability to develop and successfully market new products, software, and services and expand into new markets, the potential for improper conduct by our employees, agents or business partners, contingent liabilities relating to acquisitions and divestitures, impact of changes to tax laws, our compliance with applicable laws and regulations and changes in applicable laws and regulations, risks relating to international economic, geopolitical, including war and sanctions, legal, compliance and business factors, risks relating to potential impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets, currency exchange rates, tax audits and changes in our tax rate and income tax liabilities, the impact of our debt obligations, including our cost of debt, on our operations, litigation and other contingent liabilities including intellectual property and environmental, health and safety matters, our ability to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, risks relating to product, service or software defects, product liability and recalls, risks relating to product manufacturing, our relationships with and the performance of our channel partners, commodity costs and surcharges, adverse effects of restructuring activities, risk related to tax treatment of the separation of Vontier, impact of our indemnification obligation to Vontier, impact of changes to U.S. GAAP, labor matters, and disruptions relating to man-made and natural disasters and climate change. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is available in our SEC filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release, and Fortive does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise.

Elena Rosman, Vice President, Investor Relations
Fortive Corporation
6920 Seaway Boulevard
Everett, WA 98203
Telephone: (425) 446-5000

Source: Fortive Corporation

Released October 23, 2023