PetIQ, Inc. (PETQ) Receives FTC Approval to Close Acquisition of the Capstar Portfolio of Products

PetIQ, Inc. (“PetIQ” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: PETQ), a leading pet medication and wellness company, today announced they have received final approval from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and will close the $95 million cash acquisition of the Capstar® portfolio of products from Elanco Animal Health, Inc. (“Elanco”) (NYSE: ELAN) on July 31, 2020. Capstar is the #1 oral over-the-counter (“OTC”) flea treatment product in the United States. PetIQ expects that this acquisition will be immediately accretive to earnings following the closing and thereafter due to the strong performance of the brand.

The Capstar portfolio is comprised of seven SKUs, including three private label SKUs which are sold under the Capaction® brand. Capstar® is an oral tablet for the treatment of flea infestations on dogs, puppies, cats and kittens and is currently the best-selling oral OTC flea treatment product in the United States. Additionally, Capstar® is the only oral OTC product for cats in the market today.

Cord Christensen, PetIQ’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are excited to have cleared all hurdles needed to close this highly accretive acquisition. We believe the acquisition of Capstar is a natural fit with our pet health and wellness platform as we further enhance PetIQ’s manufactured product business with the addition of Capstar’s industry leading animal health product portfolio. We have been distributing the Capstar brand for several years and have a deep appreciation for the trust that pet parents have in their flea treatments, which is demonstrated by their very attractive position. We believe that PetIQ is well positioned to support and grow Capstar across sales channels long-term.”

Strategic and Financial Benefits

PetIQ believes the combination will provide the following strategic and financial benefits:

• Further Diversifies and Expands PetIQ’s Manufactured Pet Health and Wellness Branded Product Offerings: The addition of the Capstar portfolio complements PetIQ’s existing portfolio of manufactured products, which was recently expanded by the addition of products sold under the brands of Perrigo Animal Health. The acquisition further supports the Company’s product category, brand, and sales channel diversity with a focus on accessible and affordable, high-quality flea infestation treatments.
• Enhances Product Segment Financial Profile with High-margin Manufactured Product Line: The Capstar portfolio will represent the highest margin business within the PetIQ product segment. The transaction and related assets are isolated to the products, brands and associated registrations and does not include any physical manufacturing assets or incremental labor. The transition of the asset is supported by a 24 month manufacturing and service agreement with Elanco, who will systematically assist PetIQ in the transition of production to PetIQ’s state of the art facility in Omaha, NE.

Transaction Details

The assets associated with the Capstar portfolio will be acquired for $95 million in cash. PetIQ will own the complementary product portfolio of Capstar’s highly recognized brand allowing for PetIQ to realize short, mid and long-term value creation putting PetIQ in a leading position in anti-parasitics, a key growth segment of the animal health industry. The Company will finance the transaction with proceeds from the convertible note issuance it previously closed in May 2020. Pro forma for the transaction, including the annualized EBITDA contribution of Capstar, PetIQ expects an immaterial change to its net debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA leverage ratio. PetIQ remains committed to reducing its leverage through a combination of organic growth and free cash flow.

You May Also Be Interested In

• Tesla touts acceleration of new models, but Q1 results fall short of estimates
• Day One Biopharmaceuticals' (DAWN) OJEMDA Receives US FDA Accelerated Approval for Relapsed or Refractory BRAF-altered Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma (pLGG), the Most Common Form of Childhood Brain Tumor
• 10X Capital Venture Acquisition Corp. III (VCXB) Receives NYSE Notice Regarding Late Form 10-K Filing