3M Co. is plunging back into the land of billion-dollar deals after an eight-year hiatus.
The Maplewood-based conglomerate on Monday announced that it will pay $1 billion to acquire the assets of Polypore International Incorporated's ultrafiltration business.
Polypore's Separations Media business is expected to give 3M new technology and about $210 million in annual sales, provided the deal first gains the necessary regulatory and shareholder approvals.
3M's acquisition is just one part of Polypore's plans. North Carolina-based Polypore International will sell the remaining portion of itself to Japan-based Asahi Kasei for about $2.2 billion. The closing of each deal is contingent upon the completion of the other.
3M investors were pleased. The company's stock rose to a 52-week high in early trading Monday. It closed slightly lower, hitting $168.81, for an increase of 69 cents a share on a volatile trading day when most Wall Street industrial stocks declined.
The Polypore division that 3M is buying makes sophisticated "microporous" membranes and filters that remove or separate tiny microscopic particles from water, blood and other liquids.
The unit's "flat sheet" and "hollow" membranes are frequently used in hospitals, in kidney dialysis clinics and in factories that make pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, lithium batteries and other products.
Edward Jones equity analyst Matt Arnold said buying Polypore's filtration unit makes sense for 3M because the unit has a significant health care customer base and great profit margins.