Siemens CEO says has no plans to sell down Healthineers stake

FRANKFURT, March 29 (Reuters) - ** Siemens has no plans to gradually to sell down its stake in healthcare unit Healthineers after an IPO or spin-off, its chief executive tells Swiss newspaper Finanz und Wirtschaft in an interview

** “We will keep the majority. It is one of our most attractive businesses and will be the third pillar alongside renewable energy and the industrial Siemens,” says Joe Kaeser

** Kaeser says he will have to think twice about whether he wants to list Healthineers in the United States under President Donald Trump - Frankfurt and Hong Kong are also options

** He says no further listings of parts of the company are currently on the agenda

** Kaeser says he uses five criteria to decide whether a business belongs in the Siemens portfolio: Is it in a growth field; is it profitable enough; is it doing better than the competition; are there synergies with other Siemens businesses; and are big changes in the value chain on the horizon?

** He says he believes global economic growth will be better this year than currently expected, thanks to Europe and China

** Asked whether he wants to sell Siemens’ 17.5 percent stake in Osram, Kaeser answers: “There is no inherent reason any more to remain invested. There is also the possibility to enable a strategic combination that would strengthen Osram.”

** Asked whether he is interested in buying Toshiba’s smart grid and metering business Landis & Gyr, he says: “We have an adequate offering in smart meters and so we are not interested in buying Landis & Gyr”