GE Healthcare (NYSE:G) Completes First Phase of Bid for Clarient (Nasdaq:CLRT)

GE Healthcare (NYSE:G) announced Friday that is has finished the first phase of it bid for Clarient Inc. (Nasdaq:CLRT), a diagnostic services company.

Clarient received an offer of $570 million from General Electric, which valued the company at about $5 a share. It was a complete cash offer from GE.

Also benefiting from the acquisition would be Safeguard Scientific Inc. (NYSE:SFE). They own a 26 percent stake in Clarient, and stand to make about $144 million from the deal. At the close of the transaction they'll receive another $2.6 million from the deal.

So far approximately 84 percent of the common and preferred shares of Clarient have been tendered in favor of the bid from General Electric, with commitments of another 12.6 percent.

General Electric closed Friday at $17.70, down $0.07, or 0.39 percent. Clarient closed at $5.00, up $0.01, or 0.20 percent. Safeguard closed at $16.56, gaining $0.21, or 1.28 percent.