How Will AbbVie's $10.9 Billion Acquisition of Apogee Impact Its Dividend?
Key Points
AbbVie will fund this acquisition with debt, leaving its cash reserves intact.
The company should maintain its dividend program as it did after previous massive acquisitions.
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On June 22, AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) announced that it would acquire Apogee Therapeutics (NASDAQ: APGE) for $10.9 billion in cash. Some investors celebrated the move, since it will add zumilokibart, a promising investigational medicine for eczema, to AbbVie's lineup and help it solidify its leadership in immunology. However, others may fear that, given how much it will spend on this buyout, the transaction may impact AbbVie's dividend program, one of the company's key selling points. My view is that income seekers have nothing to worry about. Here's why.
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A precedent that speaks volumes
Expensive acquisitions can put downward pressure on a company's dividend program if they significantly reduce the cash available to be returned to shareholders. With AbbVie ending 2025 with $17.8 billion in free cash flow, some fear that this is what will happen. But it's worth noting that AbbVie is a Dividend King, or a corporation with 50 (or more) consecutive years of dividend increases, once we factor in the time it spent under Abbott Laboratories' wing.
Management is committed to maintaining this streak, because if AbbVie misses a single year of dividend increase, it will have to start from scratch and hope to join the ranks of Dividend King again in another 50 years. Besides, AbbVie will fund the acquisition with debt, meaning it won't deplete its cash balance.
It's worth considering how the largest acquisition in AbbVie's history -- and one of the largest ever in the pharmaceutical industry -- impacted its dividend program. The company bought Allergan for $63 billion in a mix of cash and stock in May 2020. This massive transaction did not harm AbbVie's dividend. Since 2020, the drugmaker's payouts have increased by 46.6%.
The business is improving
AbbVie's acquisition of Apogee Therapeutics may also lead to the company launching zumilokibart. This product could help drive solid revenue, earnings, and free cash flow growth, thereby strengthening the business and helping it maintain its dividend program. Once again, that's arguably what the Allergan acquisition did for AbbVie. The drugmaker was able to expand and diversify its lineup thanks to it, and products such as its Botox franchise and Vraylar, a schizophrenia medicine, helped it move beyond Humira's patent cliff.
So, this buyout will arguably be a net positive for AbbVie, especially if zumilokibart becomes as successful as the company expects. In the meantime, AbbVie is still depending on its two biggest growth drivers, Skyrizi and Rinvoq, to post strong financial results. And the company boasts several other exciting pipeline candidates, including in the fast-growing weight loss market. AbbVie remains a strong buy, given all these factors, especially for dividend-seeking investors.
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Prosper Junior Bakiny has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends AbbVie and Abbott Laboratories. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
