Investing

3D Systems Delivers on 3D Printing Acquisition Promise

When 3D Systems Corp. (NYSE: DDD) raised capital, the company signaled that it was going to make an acquisition in the 3D printing space. We now know that 1) the company was telling the truth and 2) which company 3D Systems is buying. News broke on Wednesday morning that 3D Systems was acquiring about 80% of Phenix Systems, a provider of Direct Metal Selective Laser Sintering 3D Printers. What is interesting here is that 3D Systems said specifically that this acquisition should be accretive to the company’s non-GAAP earnings in the first full year following the completion of transaction.

Phenix is based in Riom, France, and it designs, manufactures and sells proprietary Direct Metal 3D Printers that can print chemically pure fully dense metal and ceramic parts from very fine powders with the granularity of 6 to 9 microns. The shares are traded on the French market’s Alternext system, and the buyout is listed as 13 euros per share.

This acquisition is said to strengthen 3D’s offerings, and it also immediately positions 3D Systems at the heart of the aerospace, automotive, defense and patient specific health care manufacturing opportunities. Materials include stainless steel, tool steel, super alloys, non-ferrous alloys, precious metals and alumina for a variety of aerospace, automotive and patient specific medical device applications. We are looking also for a fast close here as the companies signaled that the merger is expected to close in July 2013.

After regulatory and other conditions have been met and after the acquisition closes, 3D Systems did say that it intends to launch a takeover bid for the remaining 20% of the shares of Phenix Systems. The maximum price payable by 3D Systems for the 80% block is 13 euros per share.

Phenix currently is listed under the Alternext ticker of ALPHX, and the last level was listed as 5.79 euros. The company’s shares are very thinly traded and some days there have been no shares trading at all.

3D Systems is trading up 0.8% at $46.81 shortly after the open on Wednesday, against a 52-week range of $18.33 to $51.94.

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