We Hope Reckitt's Management Is Good at Juggling

After the SSL International acquisition, Reckitt Benckiser management has its hands full with the new Para purchase

Lauren DeSanto 14 December, 2010 | 10:26AM
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Reckitt Benckiser's acquisition of Indian health and personal care firm Para Pharmaceuticals for approximately £460 million doesn't move the needle on our 3,494p fair value estimate for the firm's shares. Following so closely on the heels of the more transformational acquisition of SSL International, however, raises both integration concerns about both companies, as well as questions about the amount of growth Reckitt's management foresees for its legacy businesses, which skew primarily to mature markets. Similar to its deal to acquire SSL, Reckitt is paying a hefty premium for the pharmaceuticals concern at roughly 8x fiscal 2010 sales and an estimated 32x EBITDA. Para is owned by private equity group Actis, which has a 63% stake, and minority shareholders founder Girish Patel and Sequioia Capital. The firm's product portfolio primarily consists of over-the-counter pain relief products which will further build out Reckitt's health-care offering.

While the Indian firm is small and brings with it a new manufacturing facility, we expect that Reckitt will likely have its hands full in the coming months integrating SSL, and we're not yet sure of management's bandwidth for folding in international based operations. Given the opportunity in India, where the health and personal care segment growth rate far outpaces developed markets, it's possible the premium multiple for Para is warranted. However, between realising the potential for Para and SSL, and combating competitive pressures in its core household products business, incoming CFO Susan Day and CEO Bart Becht clearly have a fair amount of juggling to do in the coming months.

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security NamePriceChange (%)Morningstar
Rating
Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC4,849.00 GBX2.28Rating

About Author

Lauren DeSanto  Lauren DeSanto is Morningstar's chief operating officer for equity research.

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