Thermo Fisher To Pursue Sale Of Lab-Testing Units

Thermo Fisher Scientific, a maker of scientific instruments, is pursuing a sale of two lab-testing divisions that may fetch up to $1 billion, Bloomberg said, citing three people familiar with the matter.

Thermo Fisher has hired Goldman Sachs to handle the sale of Athena Diagnostics, which may be sold for $600-$700 million, and Barclays Capital to help it sell Lancaster Labs, which may fetch $200-$300 million, Bloomberg said.

In December, Thermo Fisher agreed to buy Dionex Corp for $2.1 billion to broaden its lab equipment and environmental safety offerings and boost its presence in Asia.

Thermo Fisher was not immediately available for comment outside of regular U.S. business hours.