Healius (ASX:HLS) agreed to sell its wholly owned Agilex Biolabs business to a Novotech subsidiary for an enterprise value of AU$160 million, representing nearly 20 times Agilex's fiscal 2026 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization on a pre-AASB 16 basis, according to a Friday Australian bourse filing.
The transaction is expected to generate around AU$155 million in net cash proceeds after costs, with no tax liability anticipated, per the filing.
Completion is expected in the second half of fiscal 2027, subject to customary conditions, including approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the filing said.
The company said the sale will enable it to focus on its core pathology business, with Agilex's operations continuing as normal until completion, while the deal is expected to leave the company in a net cash position as it considers options for deploying the proceeds, the filing added.