Martin Schutt | picture alliance | Getty Images
An examination with a CT scanner is prepared in the emergency room of the university hospital (UKJ) in Jena, Germany. The GE Healthcare scanner is called the Revolution CT.
The planned spin off of General Electric‘s health unit — GE Healthcare — could be in jeopardy after news that John Flannery was removed as chairman and CEO of the industrial conglomerate, according to one industry analyst.
Jim Corridore, a research equity analyst at CFRA, said Monday that GE’s incoming leader, former Danaher CEO Lawrence Culp, could decide that the multibillion-dollar health division would be better off staying within the company.
GE Healthcare, a dominant player in hospital and lab equipment, is a bit of a cash cow, generating roughly $19 billion in revenue and throwing off $3.4 billion in profit last year. It accounted for 15.8 percent of the conglomerate’s total sales, and 43.2 percent of its operating profit in 2017.
“Maybe health care is not going to get spun off now,” Corridore said in an interview with CNBC’s “Power Lunch.” “Maybe some of the parts that were going to be sold make more sense today.”
GE Healthcare spokeswoman Jennifer Fox said the unit “plans to continue working toward separation of GE” and news of Flannery’s removal “does not change what’s happening at GE Healthcare.”
Scott Davis, chairman and CEO of Melius Research in New York, told CNBC that he also doesn’t think Flannery’s exit changes anything for GE Healthcare. “But I suppose anything is possible,” he added.
GE shares were soaring more than 7 percent early afternoon Monday after news that the board removed Flannery from his position.
According to a source familiar with the matter, Flannery’s removal was driven by the board’s frustration with the slow pace of change under his leadership — not troubles at the power business.
Flannery tasked GE Healthcare CEO Kieran Murphy with spinning out the unit into a separate, independent company by the end of 2019. The move made sense for GE, allowing it to double down on its core industrial and energy businesses.
In a recent interview with CNBC, Flannery said he was excited, but did seem all that worried about the spin off, calling it “a huge challenge and a great opportunity.”
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