Agfa Finds Buyer??

On the eve of SIIM in Seattle comes some good news for my friends at Agfa. According to printweek.com:

Agfa-Gevaert's battered share price, which has fallen around 70% in the past year, recovered slightly last week on the news that it may have found a buyer for its underperforming medical unit.

Agfa's shares rose more than 7% after chief executive Jo Cornu revealed the company had received many expressions of interest since appointing German merger advisory firm Lazard at the end of last month.

The share jump also followed the revelation by US private equity outfit Gores Group that it is interested in Agfa's healthcare division.

Gores said: "We find Agfa an interesting company with some great assets, and we are ready to speak about a partnership or a purchase."

The Gores Group is:

. . . is a private equity firm focused on acquiring controlling interests in mature and growing businesses which can benefit from the firm's operating experience and flexible capital base. Gores' offices in North America and Europe serve its active investment programs in these regions.

Here's a list of their holdings:

Current
Adventa ControlTechnologies
Aptiv Technology Partners
Avure Technologies
CompuDyne
Enterasys Networks
First Communications
Global Tel*Link
Diagnostic Health Corp.
Intelliverse
Lineage Power
Real Software
Sagem Communications
SER Solutions
Somero Enterprises
United Road Services
Wire One Communications

Prior
Anker
Aprisma Management Technologies
Artemis International Solutions Corp.
Brand-Rex
Connection Machines Services
Encore Real Time Computing
Farallon Communications
Goretek Data Systems
Humanic Solutions
Information Dimensions
Inmac
JAMIS Software
MPC Computers
ONEBOOK Financials
Proxicom
QuorTech Global Solutions
QuorTech Solutions
Revere
Select Business Solutions
Silicon Systems and Technologies
SSA Global Technologies
The Learning Company
VeriFone
Vicorp

Gores doesn't have a PACS company as yet, so this could certainly diversify their holdings.

I don't yet know the price tag for this little purchase, but I'm sure it's a good deal for Gores. Whether it's a good deal for Agfa and its users remains to be seen....