NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. pharmaceutical and medical equipment maker Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) agreed to sell its Cordis vascular technology unit to Cardinal Health for $1.9 billion (1.2 billion pounds), completing its exit from the cardiovascular stent business.
Cardinal, one of the largest U.S. drug distribution companies, is expanding its medical equipment offerings for physicians and said it would be able to sell Cordis products as part of its sales network. It expects the acquisition to boost 2017 earnings by 20 cents per share.
"While this transaction is not without obvious risks and does mark a change in CAH's overall business mix/business model, we believe the financial attractiveness outweighs this fact," Evercore ISI analyst Ross Muken said in a research note.
Shares of Cardinal surged $1.67, or 1.9 percent, to $89.87, in early trading, while J&J rose 0.2 percent, or 25 cents, to $102.76.
J&J, which makes pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and consumer items, said its cardiovascular disease businesses now include its electrophysiology business and the drug Xarelto.
About four years ago, the company began to withdraw from the cardiovascular stent business by exiting the highly competitive drug coated stent market. The sale process for the business had been reported by other media outlets last fall.
Cordis gets about 70 percent of its revenue from outside the United States, and its principal markets include Europe, China, and Japan.
The Cordis business also includes other cardiology equipment, like wires and guides and equipment for use in the more attractively viewed endovascular health market. The latter includes products to treat aneurysms and to open up arteries such as in the abdominal aorta.
Cardinal said that due to inventory valuations, the acquisition will be slightly dilutive to 2016 earnings.
It expects the deal to close by Dec. 31.
Other makers of these products include Medtronic Plc, Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT), St Jude Medical Inc (NYSE:STJ) and Boston Scientific Corp (NYSE:BSX).