GE, on November 9, 2021, announced its plan to form three industry-leading, global public companies focused on the growth sectors of aviation, healthcare, and energy.
This will be achieved in the following manner:
- Pursuing a tax-free spin-off of GE Healthcare, creating a pure-play company at the center of precision health in early 2023, in which GE expects to retain a stake of 19.9 percent; and
- Combining GE Renewable Energy, GE Power, and GE Digital into one business, positioned to lead the energy transition, and then pursuing a tax-free spin-off of this business in early 2024.
Following these transactions, GE will be an aviation-focused company shaping the future of flight.
As independently run companies, the businesses will be better positioned to deliver long-term growth and create value for customers, investors, and employees, GE said.
GE Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr. said, “At GE we have always taken immense pride in our purpose of building a world that works. The world demands—and deserves—we bring our best to solve the biggest challenges in flight, healthcare, and energy. By creating three industry-leading, global public companies, each can benefit from greater focus, tailored capital allocation, and strategic flexibility to drive long-term growth and value for customers, investors, and employees. We are putting our technology expertise, leadership, and global reach to work to better serve our customers.”
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Transaction Details
GE intends to execute the spin-offs of Healthcare in early 2023 and of the Renewable Energy and Power business in early 2024. The respective capital structures, brands, and leadership teams for each independent company will be determined and announced later, the Boston-headquartered conglomerate said.
Following the spin-off transactions, GE will retain other assets and liabilities of GE today, including run-off insurance operations. Upon closing the Healthcare transaction, GE expects to retain a stake of 19.9 percent in the healthcare company to provide capital allocation flexibility. GE also intends that Healthcare will issue debt securities, the proceeds of which will be used to pay down outstanding GE debt. The transactions are not subject to bondholder consent.
The company expects to incur one-time separation, transition, and operational costs of approximately $2 billion and tax costs of less than $0.5 billion, which will depend on specifics of the transaction. The proposed spin-offs of Healthcare and the Renewable Energy and Power business are intended to be tax-free for GE and GE shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Featured photograph (source: GE) is representative of GE’s renewable energy business.