UK's Goodwin in $1.5 billion deal talks with Cerberus to sell some defence assets

Sept 9 (Reuters) - British engineering group Goodwin is in advanced talks with U.S.-based private equity firm Cerberus Capital to sell parts of a division that houses its defence assets for £1.1 billion ($1.49 billion), it said on Wednesday. 

The potential sale comes as demand has risen due to strong orders for precision-machined castings used in defence and nuclear projects, and increasing exports to the U.S. Navy. 

Shares in the London-listed engineering company, which dropped 23% on Tuesday after the Financial Times first reported the deal talks, were trading flat on Wednesday.

"That (price) might be considered reasonable for some castings players – but not a key supplier to the U.S. and UK navies, with access to the latter’s continuous at sea deterrence programme," said John West, global head of analysis at Mergermarket, explaining Tuesday's share drop.

GOODWIN STARTED EXPLORING POTENTIAL SALE IN AUGUST

Goodwin, which makes industrial castings, valves, pumps and other specialist engineered products, in August started exploring a potential sale of parts of its mechanical engineering business as part of a broader strategic review.

The potential deal would cover a substantial part of Goodwin's Mechanical Engineering division, which includes Goodwin Steel Castings, Goodwin International, Noreva, Easat Group and Pumps, it said. 

The unit makes components for UK and U.S. naval ship and submarine programmes. It was a stand-out performer last year, growing revenues by nearly 39% in fiscal 2026.   

Any deal with a foreign buyer for Goodwin's defence assets would attract scrutiny by the UK government under the National Security and Investment Act.

The UK remains Goodwin's largest market by revenue at 29% of its total, but the U.S. market has grown its share to about 24%, according to its latest annual report.  

Cerberus, co-founded by U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.  

($1 = 0.7376 pounds)

(Reporting by Nithyashree R B in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Jan Harvey)