Month: November 2021

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Lee Enterprises receives take over offer

Alden Global Capital offers to acquire Lee Enterprises for $24.00 per share

Alden Global Capital sent the following letter to the Board of Directors of Lee Enterprises (LEE):

“Alden Global Capital is a significant investor in American newspapers, with platforms including MediaNews Group, Inc. and Tribune Publishing Company that are committed to ensuring communities nationwide have access to robust, independently minded local journalism.

Our goal is to provide valued news and information to local subscribers nationwide, led by a talented team of seasoned newspaper executives who have worked in journalism for an average of more than 30 years.

Our newspapers include The Chicago Tribune, The Denver Post, The Mercury News, The New York Daily News, The Orange County Register, The Boston Herald, The Baltimore Sun and other leading newspapers across the U.S.

As you are aware, an affiliated entity of ours owns approximately 6% of the issued and outstanding common stock of Lee Enterprises, Incorporated.

We believe that as a private company and part of our successful nationwide platforms, Lee would be in a stronger position to maximize its resources and realize strategic value that enhances its operations and supports its employees in their important work serving local communities.

Our interest in Lee is a reaffirmation of our substantial commitment to the newspaper industry and our desire to support local newspapers over the long term.

Accordingly, we propose to purchase Lee for $24.00 per share in cash, representing a substantial premium of approximately 30% to Lee’s closing share price of $18.49 on November 19th, 2021.

We have the ability to fully finance this all-cash proposal and the definitive merger agreement will not include a financing condition.

We have engaged an experienced team of advisors, including Moelis & Company as financial advisor as well as Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP as legal counsel, and have conducted a comprehensive review of publicly available information about Lee.

Based on our review of this information and in consultation with our counsel, we do not believe any material regulatory issues would inhibit the completion of this transaction in a timely manner.

The foregoing indicative terms are based solely on our review of publicly available information, are subject to completion of our due diligence and execution of definitive documentation acceptable to us and we reserve the right to withdraw or modify our proposal in any manner.

Following the review of targeted additional information pursuant to a mutually acceptable nondisclosure agreement, we expect that we would complete our work, including negotiation of definitive documentation, in approximately four weeks.

We are keenly interested in working constructively with the Lee Board of Directors, with the goal of getting to a successful transaction with value, speed and certainty.

Scale is critical for newspapers to ensure necessary staffing and in order to thrive in this challenging environment where print advertising continues to decline and back office operations and legacy public company functions remain bloated, thus depriving newsrooms of resources that are best used serving readers with relevant, trustworthy and engaging content.

We hope that the Board will work with us to maximize value and opportunities for all Lee stockholders and employees, and we look forward to receiving a response to this non-binding proposal in an expeditious manner.”

Lee Enterprises, founded in 1890, provides local news and information, and advertising services in the United States. The company offers print and digital editions of daily, weekly, and monthly newspapers and publications; and digital services, including Web hosting and content management for other content producers. Additionally, the company publishes 9 daily newspapers, and weekly newspapers and specialty publications.

LEE last traded at $22.92, up $4.47 on the day.

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GE to split into three companies

General Electric to form three public companies

GE announced its plan to form three industry-leading, global public companies focused on the growth sectors of aviation, healthcare, and energy, by: Pursuing a tax-free spin-off of GE Healthcare, creating a pure-play company at the center of precision health in early 2023, in which GE expects to retain a stake of 19.9 percent; and Combining GE Renewable Energy, GE Power, and GE Digital into one business, positioned to lead the energy transition, and then pursuing a tax-free spin-off of this business in early 2024.

GE to split into three

Following these transactions, GE will be an aviation-focused company shaping the future of flight.

As independently run companies, the businesses will be better positioned to deliver long-term growth and create value for customers, investors, and employees, with each benefitting from: Deeper operational focus, accountability, and agility to meet customer needs; Tailored capital allocation decisions in line with distinct strategies and industry-specific dynamics; Strategic and financial flexibility to pursue growth opportunities; Dedicated boards of directors with deep domain expertise; Business- and industry-oriented career opportunities and incentives for employees; and Distinct and compelling investment profiles appealing to broader, deeper investor bases.

GE Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr. said, “At GE we have always taken immense pride in our purpose of building a world that works. The world demands-and deserves-we bring our best to solve the biggest challenges in flight, healthcare, and energy.

By creating three industry-leading, global public companies, each can benefit from greater focus, tailored capital allocation, and strategic flexibility to drive long-term growth and value for customers, investors, and employees. We are putting our technology expertise, leadership, and global reach to work to better serve our customers.”

Culp will serve as non-executive chairman of the GE healthcare company upon its spin-off.

He will continue to serve as chairman and CEO of GE until the second spin-off, at which point, he will lead the GE aviation-focused company going forward.

Peter Arduini will assume the role of president and CEO of GE Healthcare effective January 1, 2022.

Peter Arduin

Scott Strazik will be the CEO of the combined Renewable Energy, Power, and Digital business while John Slattery continues as CEO of Aviation.

Scott Strazik

GE intends to execute the spin-offs of Healthcare in early 2023 and of the Renewable Energy and Power business in early 2024.

John Slattery

The respective capital structures, brands, and leadership teams for each independent company will be determined and announced later.

Where required to do so, GE will consult with employee representatives in line with its legal obligations before any final decisions are taken.

Through the transition, GE will be able to monetize its stakes in AerCap and Baker Hughes, prioritizing further debt reduction.

Each of the three resulting independent companies will be well capitalized with investment-grade ratings.

Following the spin-off transactions, GE will retain other assets and liabilities of GE today, including run-off insurance operations.

Upon closing the Healthcare transaction, GE expects to retain a stake of 19.9 percent in the healthcare company to provide capital allocation flexibility.

GE also intends that Healthcare will issue debt securities, the proceeds of which will be used to pay down outstanding GE debt.

The transactions are not subject to bondholder consent.

The company expects to incur one-time separation, transition, and operational costs of approximately $2 billion and tax costs of less than $0.5 billion, which will depend on specifics of the transaction.

The proposed spin-offs of Healthcare and the Renewable Energy and Power business are intended to be tax-free for GE and GE shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The transactions are subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, including final approvals by GE’s Board of Directors, private letter rulings from the Internal Revenue Service and/or tax opinions from counsel, the filing and effectiveness of Form 10 registration statements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and satisfactory completion of financing.

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NeoPhotonics sold for $918M

ย Lumentum to acquire NeoPhotonics for $16 per share in cash

Lumentum (LITE) and NeoPhotonics (NPTN) announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Lumentum will acquire NeoPhotonics for $16.00 per share in cash, which represents a total equity value of approximately $918M.

NeoPhotonics Corporation develops, manufactures, and sells optoelectronic products that transmit and receive high speed digital optical signals for cloud and hyperscale data center internet content provider and telecom networks worldwide.

Lumentum Holdings Inc. manufactures and sells optical and photonic products in the Americas, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company operates in two segments, Optical Communications (OpComms) and Commercial Lasers (Lasers).ย 

Laser chips made by Lumentum

The transaction has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

The purchase price represents a premium of approximately 39% to NeoPhotonics’ closing stock price on November 3, 2021.

Laser chips made by NeoPhotonics

Lumentum intends to finance the transaction through cash from the combined company’s balance sheet.

Related to the transaction, Lumentum will provide up to $50M in term loans to NeoPhotonics to fund anticipated growth, which may require increased working capital and manufacturing capacity.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of calendar year 2022, subject to approval by NeoPhotonics’ stockholders, receipt of regulatory approvals, and other customary closing conditions.

“With NeoPhotonics, we’re making another important investment in better serving our customers and expanding our photonics capabilities at a time when photonics are at the forefront of favorable long-term market trends. At the center of our strategy is a relentless focus on developing a differentiated portfolio with the most innovative products and technology in our industry so that we can help our customers compete and win in their respective markets.

Adding NeoPhotonics’ differentiated products and technology and innovative R&D team is consistent with this strategy and together, we will better meet the growing need for next generation optical networking solutions. We are confident this transaction will make us an even better partner to our customers, while enabling our team to deliver significant, long-term value to our stockholders. We look forward to welcoming NeoPhotonics’ talented team of employees to Lumentum,” said Alan Lowe, Lumentum President and CEO.

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