Banking and Credit

On November 3, 2025, Kenvue Inc. (“Kenvue”), a global consumer health leader, and Kimberly‑Clark Corporation (“Kimberly‑Clark”), a global personal care leader, announced an agreement under which Kimberly‑Clark will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Kenvue common stock in a cash and stock transaction that values Kenvue at an enterprise value of approximately $48.7 billion, based on the closing price of Kimberly‑Clark common stock on October 31, 2025. Under the terms of the agreement, which has been unanimously approved by each company’s Board of Directors, Kenvue shareholders will receive $3.50 per share in cash as well as 0.14625 Kimberly‑Clark shares for each Kenvue share held at closing. Upon closing of the transaction, current Kenvue shareholders are expected to own approximately 46% and current Kimberly‑Clark shareholders are expected to own approximately 54% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis. Cravath is representing Kenvue in connection with the transaction.

Cravath represented the administrative agent, joint lead arranger and joint bookrunner in connection with a $4 billion revolving credit facility made available to Valero Energy Corporation, a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of petroleum‑based and low‑carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products. The transaction closed on October 16, 2025.

On October 28, 2025, Westinghouse Electric Company (“Westinghouse”), Brookfield Asset Management (“Brookfield”) and Cameco Corporation (“Cameco”) announced that the U.S. Government has entered into a strategic partnership to accelerate the deployment of nuclear power. At the center of the new strategic partnership, at least $80 billion of new reactors will be constructed across the United States using Westinghouse nuclear reactor technology. The partnership contains profit sharing mechanisms that provide for all parties, once certain thresholds are met, to participate in the long‑term financial and strategic value that will be created within Westinghouse by the growth of nuclear energy and advancement of investment into AI capabilities in the United States. Cravath is representing Westinghouse and Brookfield in connection with the strategic partnership.

Cravath represented the administrative agent, joint lead arranger and joint bookrunner in connection with $1.8 billion of credit facilities made available to Crane Company, as part of the financing transactions undertaken in connection with its pending acquisition of Precision Sensors & Instrumentation (“PSI”) product line from Baker Hughes, a leading energy technology company with a diversified portfolio of technologies and services that span the energy and industrial value chain. Crane Company is a leading industrial manufacturing and technology company. The credit facilities consisted of a $900 million term loan facility and a $900 million revolving credit facility. The transaction closed on September 30, 2025.

Cravath represented the initial purchasers in connection with the $500 million 144A/Reg. S high-yield senior notes offering of Science Applications International Corporation ("SAIC"), a leading provider of technical, engineering and enterprise information technology services primarily to the U.S. government. The transaction closed on September 25, 2025.

On October 23, 2025, Cravath partner Isaac C. Beerman participated in the American Bar Association’s NYC Commercial Finance Meeting 2025, which was held in New York. The meeting convened experts to provide insights into the U.S. loan market. Isaac spoke on a panel entitled “What’s Lurking in Your Loan Documents?”, which explored recent trends in loan documentation and the key market dynamics driving them.

The 2025 Chambers UK rankings recognized Cravath across three categories: Leveraged Finance (Lenders – Big Ticket); Leveraged Finance (Big Ticket); and Capital Markets (High‑Yield Products). Chambers noted Cravath among the firms that “excel in sophisticated, high‑value financial deals.” Added a survey respondent, Cravath’s “team impresses with its collaborative spirit and innovative approach. Their strengths lie in effective communication, strategic problem‑solving, along with being diligent and highly commercial.”

In an article highlighting the October release of the 2025 edition of IFLR1000, IFLR named Cravath among the law firms that “made the largest strides in the banking and finance rankings across four key European markets this year.” It further pointed to Cravath’s “sharp ascent” in rankings as evidence of U.S. firms becoming increasingly active in London’s finance space. The 2025 edition of IFLR1000 recognized Cravath across five categories: Bank Lending – Lender Side, Bank Lending – Sponsor Side, Capital Markets – Debt, Capital Markets – Equity and Capital Markets – High Yield.

On October 17, 2025, Lawdragon announced the inclusion of 57 Cravath partners in its annual list of the “500 Leading Dealmakers in America.” The list, assembled based on research and vetting by peers, recognizes lawyers in the areas of M&A, capital markets, corporate governance, finance, private equity and tax who “shake the world with the deals they make happen” and are “among the most coveted lawyers in the world.”

On September 18, 2025, the Financial Times recognized Cravath at the publication’s Innovative Lawyer Europe Awards 2025, which recognize the most innovative work and legal service lawyers have developed for their clients in Europe. Cravath was chosen as the winner in the “Dealmaking” category in recognition of the Firm’s representation of the lead arrangers and initial purchasers in the €1.9 billion financing supporting TDR Capital and I Squared Capital’s public-to-private acquisition of Applus+.