Sweden’s EQT in talks to buy majority stake in Cerba HealthCare

Swedish buyout firm EQT is taking a majority stake in French medical laboratory services operator Cerba HealthCare from Partners Group at an enterprise value of 4.5 billion euros ($5.3 billion), according to a source familiar with the matter.

Cerba said on Wednesday it is in discussions with EQT for an investment in the company but did not disclose the size of the deal.

Swiss-based investment manager Partners Group and PSP Investments had bought Cerba in 2017 from private equity group PAI Partners.

Spokespersons at Partners and EQT declined to comment on the deal.

Cerba HealthCare is an International network of medical biology laboratories with common values based on the synergy and complementary nature of activities and men and women. It operates in the medical biology tests market, in private and public sectors and clinical trials. Cerba HealthCare is a synergetic and complementary group that offers doctors, medical biology test laboratories and pharmaceutical companies a comprehensive offer in terms of biological diagnosis from the local laboratory to the hyperspecialised biology laboratory.