PARIS (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) Nov. 20, 2000--Following the announcement by Dutch diversified electronics group Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Philips) that it has agreed to acquire Agilent Technologies Inc.'s Healthcare Solutions Group (HSG) for $1.7 billion in cash, Standard&Poor's today affirmed Philips' single-'A'-minus long-term corporate credit and senior unsecured debt ratings. The outlook remains stable. The acquisition of HSG is the latest of a series of acquisitions Philips has made over the past two years to strengthen its medical systems division: ATL Ultrasound in July 1998 (for $800 million); MedQuist in June 2000 (for $1.2 billion); and the recent offer to acquire ADAC Laboratories for $426 million. The acquisition of HSG--which has a range of more than 400
