Deals
Linde to Buy U.S.’s Lincare for $3.8 Billion; Shares Drop
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Linde AG agreed to acquire Lincare Holdings Inc. for about $3.8 billion to add U.S. oxygen and respiratory therapy services delivered to the home, in the German company’s biggest acquisition since 2006.
Linde will pay $41.50 a share for Lincare, using a loan and a share sale of as much as 1.5 billion euros ($1.9 billion), the Munich, Germany-based industrial-gas supplier said today. That’s 64 percent more than the price on June 26, before a media report on talks between the companies. Linde shares fell as much as 5 percent in Frankfurt trading.