P&G's Thorne Acquisition Tops Recent Deals with $3.8 Billion Price Tag

Procter & Gamble's (P&G) largest acquisition in recent years is its $3.8 billion deal for supplements-maker Thorne, unveiled on August 4. The company has a history of making big bets on acquisitions, but not all have paid off.

The P&G deal for Thorne is the company's second-largest purchase after it acquired Gillette in 2005 for $57 billion. In addition to its recent acquisition, P&G has also made smaller purchases in the last decade without disclosing financial terms.

P&G CEO Shailesh Jejurikar said the price paid for Thorne is worth the growth added to the company, despite sluggish sales disclosed on July 29. A look back at previous deals shows that P&G's biggest bets don't always pay off.