Healthcare firm Medline considers filing for US IPO, Bloomberg News reports

(Reuters) -Makers of medical supplies Medline is weighing a public filing for an initial public offering as soon as late October, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Reuters previously reported, citing sources, the company could aim to raise $5 billion, potentially valuing the company at up to $50 billion.

U.S. IPO activity has gained momentum in recent months, with strong investor demand for new listings helping reverse a slowdown earlier in the year driven by trade-policy uncertainty.

A filing next month would allow the company to go public as early as November, Bloomberg News reported, adding Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are leading the banks working on the offering.

The Northfield, Illinois-based company had confidentially filed for the IPO in December.

Deliberations are ongoing and details of the deal could still change, the report added.

Medline, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Recently, Swedish fintech Klarna and blockchain lender Figure Technology grabbed headlines with strong first-day gains.

Medline’s IPO would also be a major win for its private equity owners – Blackstone, Carlyle and Hellman & Friedman – which together acquired it in a deal worth $34 billion in 2021.

The company is one of the largest privately held manufacturers and distributors of medical supplies, including surgical equipment, gloves and laboratory devices used by hospitals worldwide.

(Reporting by Prakhar Srivastava and Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Shinjini Ganguli)