That's B for Billion

A leveraged buyout with a total value of $34 billion makes the Medline Industries, Inc. deal one of the largest leveraged buyouts in a decade. The deal is expected to close in late 2021.

How large is Medline?

With 2020 revenues of $17.5 billion and 28,000 employees, Medline calls itself "the nation's largest privately-held manufacturer and distributor of healthcare supplies." Foot and ankle represents a small fraction of this, yet it is one of the fastest year on year growth centers within the company.

The deal

The buyers, according to a Medline press release, are a partnership consisting of funds managed by Blackstone, Carlyle, Hellman & Friedman and GIC – Singapore's sovereign wealth fund. The largest single shareholder will continue to be the Mills family who will retain leadership.