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M&A

LIFEBRAIN

Acquired by

CERBA HEALTHCARE

ITALY Health Providers EV [1b EUR - 100b EUR] 07/2021

Target

LIFEBRAIN

Acquirer

CERBA HEALTHCARE

Context

Cerba HealthCare won a highly competitive auction process managed by Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan to acquire Lifebrain from Investindustrial. The transaction marks Cerba's entry as a major player in the Italian market, significantly expanding its European footprint. The acquisition follows a period of rapid growth for the target, which doubled its profitability between 2019 and 2021, partly driven by a high volume of pandemic-related testing. The deal received backing from Cerba's new majority shareholder, EQT, alongside long-term partners.

LIFEBRAIN, which reported an EBITDA margin of LOGIN in 2020, is valued in this transaction at an EV/EBITDA multiple of LOGIN, representing a LOGIN discount to the 12.8x average currently observed in the Healthcare & Pharma sector.

Note that this data is based on contribution from our growing community, composed of M&A and Private Equity professionals, and has been verified by our team to ensure its accuracy.

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Target

Lifebrain is Italy's largest provider of clinical laboratory testing services. The group operates a vast network of approximately 360 sites across the country and generates over EUR200 million in revenue. Beyond its core medical diagnostics business, Lifebrain has successfully diversified into environmental and food safety testing markets. Under its previous ownership, the company became a prolific consolidator, completing 70 acquisitions in just three years to achieve its current scale.

Ent. Value

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Equity Value

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Multiples Analysis

EV / Revenue

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EV / EBITDA

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EV / EBIT

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Historical Financials (EUR)

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EBITDA
EBIT
2020
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2019
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Other operations with LIFEBRAIN

DateAcquirerTargetCountrySectorDeal Context
04/2018INVESTCorporateLIFEBRAINITALYLabs (Biology)

Investindustrial acquired a controlling stake in Lifebrain from the investment vehicle lb EK Management. The deal follows a period of intense growth supported by MCI Capital, during which the group established itself as a leading consolidator in the fragmented Italian laboratory market. The acquisition was structured through a Luxembourg vehicle, European Laboratory Services, and aimed to provide the capital and expertise necessary to professionalize the group and accelerate its aggressive acquisition strategy across Italy.

mynth data is contributed by M&A / PE professionals and systematically cross-verified against private deal documents and official releases. All source materials are destroyed post-validation to guarantee data anonymity and compliance.