Siemens’ health unit surges in Frankfurt market debut

Frankfurt am Main (AFP) – Industrial giant Siemens’  Healthineers unit made its debut on the Frankfurt stock exchange Friday after the group raised 4.2 billion euros in a more muted than expected initial public offering.

Shares surged nearly four percent to 29.10 euros ($35.80) at the start of trading, which began some 45 minutes late because of a technical glitch affecting the blue-chip DAX index.

The market launch was one of Germany’s biggest in recent years, but nevertheless fell below expectations after Siemens priced the 150 million shares up for grabs — representing a 15-percent stake in Healthineers — at 28 euros each.

The price came in at the bottom end of Siemens’ initial guidance range of 26 to 31 euros per share, and values the medical company at some 28 billion euros.

One of Siemens’ largest and most valuable divisions, Healthineers supplies hospitals around the world with everything from X-ray and MRI machines to lab diagnostics gear and robotic arms used in the operating theatre.

It’s in robust health, achieving an operating profit margin of around 18 percent last year and revenues of 13.8 billion euros, second only to Siemens’ flagship but troubled power and gas unit.

Its flotation comes as the sprawling Siemens conglomerate seeks to become more nimble in response to changing markets and stronger competition.

Last year, the group announced a tie-up of its train construction business with French rival Alstom to create a European rail giant, merged its wind energy unit with Spain’s Gamesa and unveiled plans to slash some 7,000 energy jobs due to falling global demand for its power plant turbines.

Healthineers’ initial public offering (IPO) was tipped to be the largest on Frankfurt’s blue-chip Dax index in over two decades when it was first announced by Siemens late last year, with analysts estimating the offering would generate some nine billion euros.

But those expectations were dashed when Siemens this month said it would offer the stake at a lower-than-expected range of between 26 and 31 euros per share, partly because of a spike in market volatility in recent weeks that has sapped investor demand.

Healthineers’ chief executive Bernd Montag said the flotation would allow the unit to focus on being “a pure medical technology company”, giving it “more flexibility” and the ability to raise its own capital for any future takeovers.

The last Frankfurt IPO of a similar size was 2016’s listing of RWE’s renewables spin-off Innogy, which raised around 4.6 billion euros.