Danaher Breakup And The New Corporate Activism, With Or Without Wall Street
ByDanaher is making a $13.6 billion acquisition of the Pall, and then splitting itself apart, a bit of corporate maneuvering that’s about as common on Wall Street as a CEO speaking plain English (rare). But, a closer look at Danaher’s shape shifting sheds new light on a trend taking grip of C-Suites across America: the expectation that corporate boards and management act as if they own the company.
In Danaher’s case, the company’s leadership does own a big chunk of the $60 billion market cap industrial giant. Billionaire’s Steven Rales and Mitchell Ralesco-founded Danaher in 1983 and serve as chairman and chairman of the executive committee, respectively. They also own roughly 6% of the company apiece, putting their respective holdings at around $3.75 billion. With that in mind, what’s the deal behind Danaher’s decision on Wednesday to make its largest-ever acquisition, Pall, and simultaneously split the company into two parts?…
Danaher Breakup And The New Corporate Activism, With Or Without Wall Street