Day: December 1, 2020

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Slack Technologies sold for $27.7 billion

Salesforce acquires Slack in cash and stock deal worth $27.7B

Salesforce (CRM) and Slack Technologies (WORK) have entered into a definitive agreement under which Salesforce will acquire Slack.

Under the terms of the agreement, Slack shareholders will receive $26.79 in cash and 0.0776 shares of Salesforce common stock for each Slack share, representing an enterprise value of approximately $27.7 billion based on the closing price of Salesforce’s common stock on November 30.

The boards of each of Salesforce and Slack have approved the transaction and the Slack board recommends that Slack stockholders approve the transaction and adopt the merger agreement.

The transaction is anticipated to close in the second quarter of Salesforce’s fiscal year 2022.

Salesforce goes shopping

Salesforce has also entered into a voting agreement with certain stockholders of Slack common stock, under which each such stockholder has agreed to vote all of their Slack shares in favor of the transaction at the special meeting of Slack stockholders to be held in connection with the transaction, subject to certain terms and conditions.

The Slack shares subject to the agreement represent approximately 55% of the current outstanding voting power of the Slack common stock.

Salesforce expects to fund the cash portion of the transaction consideration with a combination of new debt and cash on Salesforce’s balance sheet.

One year chart of Slack Tech. stock price

Salesforce has obtained a commitment from Citigroup, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase for a $10B senior unsecured 364-day bridge loan facility.

Salesforce said, “Slack will be deeply integrated into every Salesforce Cloud.

Five year chart of Salesforce stock price

As the new interface for Salesforce Customer 360, Slack will transform how people communicate, collaborate and take action on customer information across Salesforce as well as information from all of their other business apps and systems to be more productive, make smarter, faster decisions and create connected customer experiences.”

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This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility.

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Uncertainty in economy pushes lawmakers to come up with stimulus bill!

Powell says outlook for economy is ‘extraordinarily uncertain’

In prepared remarks for the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell said:

Jerome Powell say economy is on shaky ground

“Economic activity has continued to recover from its depressed second-quarter level. The reopening of the economy led to a rapid rebound in activity, and real gross domestic product, or GDP, rose at an annual rate of 33 percent in the third quarter.

In recent months, however, the pace of improvement has moderated.

Household spending on goods, especially durable goods, has been strong and has moved above its pre-pandemic level.

In contrast, spending on services remains low largely because of ongoing weakness in sectors that typically require people to gather closely, including travel and hospitality.

The overall rebound in household spending is due, in part, to federal stimulus payments and expanded unemployment benefits, which provided essential support to many families and individuals…

As we have emphasized throughout the pandemic, the outlook for the economy is extraordinarily uncertain and will depend, in large part, on the success of efforts to keep the virus in check…

Covid-19 has caused a global slowdown

The rise in new COVID-19 cases, both here and abroad, is concerning and could prove challenging for the next few months.

A full economic recovery is unlikely until people are confident that it is safe to re-engage in a broad range of activities.

Recent news on the vaccine front is very positive for the medium term. For now, significant challenges and uncertainties remain, including timing, production and distribution, and efficacy across different groups.”

Meanwhile lawmakers in Washington have come up with a new stimulus plan. ย 

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers announced a $908B COVID-19 aid package aimed to breaking a monthslong deadlock between Democrats and Republicans over new emergency relief for small businesses, unemployed people, airlines, and other industries during the coronavirus crisis, Reuters’ Richard Cowan and Doina Chiacu report.

The bill has not yet been written into legislation, nor has it been embraced by the Republican White House, Democratic President-elect Joe Biden, or leaders in the Senate or House of Representatives, the authors note.

The package, however, does come with the support of a group of conservatives and moderates who believe it will appeal to a broad swath of Congress, the authors note.

STOCKWINNERS

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This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility.

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