The takeover of medical supply company Medline Industries Inc. is being funded by the largest leveraged buyout loan in three years, the latest sign of a hot U.S. market coming out of the pandemic.

The dollar tranche amounts to $6 billion, the most since Refinitiv’s $6.5 billion loan in 2018, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. If Medline completes the deal at that size, it would be the fourth-largest broadly syndicated dollar LBO loan since Bloomberg began tracking the data in 2013.

The buyout is led by private equity firms Blackstone Group Inc., Carlyle Group Inc. and Hellman & Friedman LLC. 

Free Webinar: The Primary Step in Creating Value: How the Right Corporate Governance Can Drive Growth

  • To what extend can the relationship between the GP and board impact the company?
  • How can GPs ensure trickle down change in organisations?
  • How can technology help bridge the gap between GPs and management boards?

The financing includes a leveraged loan denominated in euros (amounting to the equivalent of $1 billion) and as much as $7.8 billion in high-yield bonds expected to launch in the coming weeks.

At $6 billion, the loan will be the largest currently in the U.S. market. “Given its size and a ratings/spread combination of B2/B+ and L+350-375 bps, which looks favorable to CLOs, we expect Medline’s loan to be one of the more-liquid in the market following syndication,” Bloomberg Intelligence’s Mike Holland wrote in a report on Wednesday

Source: BNN Bloomberg

Can’t stop reading? Read more