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March 8, 2023

Diversey Holdings sold for $4.6 billion

Diversey to be acquired by Solenis for $8.40 per share in cash

Solenis and Diversey Holdings (DSEY) announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Solenis will acquire Diversey in an all-cash transaction valued at an enterprise value of approximately $4.6B.

Diversey Holdings, Ltd. provides infection prevention and cleaning solutions worldwide. It operates in two segments, Institutional, and Food & Beverage.

Upon completion of the merger, Diversey will become a private company.

Under the terms of the agreement, Diversey shareholders — other than shareholders affiliated with Bain Capital Private Equity — will receive $8.40 per share in cash, which represents a premium of approximately 41.0% over Diversey’s closing share price on March 7, 2023, the last full trading day prior to the transaction announcement, and a premium of approximately 59.0% over Diversey’s 90-day volume-weighted average price.

Bain Capital will receive $7.84 per share in cash and will rollover a portion of its shares of Diversey into an affiliate of Solenis in exchange for common and preferred units of such affiliate.

Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, Solenis is a manufacturer of specialty chemicals used in water-intensive industries, which was acquired by Platinum Equity in 2021.

“The merger presents a unique opportunity to enhance value and create a more diversified business with increased scale, broader global reach, and superior customer service capabilities. It will enable the combined company to grow and provide a number of attractive cross-selling opportunities, including meeting increasing customer demand for water management, cleaning and hygiene solutions,” said Phil Wieland, Chief Executive Officer of Diversey.

Solenis CEO John Panichella will lead the combined company following the transition and integration.

Diversey’s Board of Directors formed the Special Committee to evaluate and negotiate the transaction with the assistance of independent financial and legal advisors.

Following this process, the Special Committee unanimously determined that the transaction with Solenis is in the best interests of Diversey and its shareholders, and, acting upon unanimous recommendation by the Special Committee, the Diversey Board of Directors unanimously approved the merger and recommended that Diversey shareholders vote in favor of the merger.

The Special Committee negotiated the terms of the merger agreement with assistance from its independent financial and legal advisors.

In connection with the transaction, Solenis has entered into a support agreement with Bain Capital, pursuant to which Bain Capital has agreed to vote all of its Diversey shares — which represent approximately 73% of Diversey’s outstanding shares — in favor of the transaction, subject to certain terms and conditions set forth therein.

Solenis intends to finance the transaction with a combination of committed debt and equity financing, including the contribution by Bain Capital.

The merger is expected to be completed in the second half of 2023, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including approval by Diversey shareholders holding a majority of the outstanding shares of the Company and receipt of regulatory approvals.

Upon closing of the transaction, Diversey’s ordinary shares will no longer be listed on any public market.

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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.

October 13, 2022

Kroger in talks to buy Albertsons

Kroger in talks to acquire Albertsons in all-cash deal, CNBC says

Kroger (KR) is in talks to buy Albertsons (ACI) in an all-cash deal that it hopes can be announced as soon as tomorrow morning, CNBC’s David Faber reported on-air, citing his sources. He could not learn of the deal price being discussed, Faber noted. Earlier, Bloomberg also reported earlier that Kroger is in discussions to merge with Albertsons.

Shares of Albertsons (ACI) are up $2.45, or 10%, to $28.12 after both CNBC and Bloomberg said the grocer is in talks to merge with industry peer Kroger (KR), whose shares are down about 1% to $45.53.

Kroger (KR) is in discussions to merger with Albertsons (ACI), Bloomberg’s Michelle Davis reports. According to people familiar with the matter, an agreement could be reached as soon as this week, but caution that no final decisions have been made.

Albertsons Companies, Inc. engages in the operation of food and drug stores in the United States. As of February 26, 2022, it operated 2,276 stores under various banners, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw’s, Star Market, United Supermarkets, Market Street, Haggen, Kings Food Markets, and Balducci’s Food Lovers Market; and 1,722 pharmacies, 1,317 in-store branded coffee shops, 402 adjacent fuel centers, 22 distribution centers, and 20 manufacturing facilities.

The Kroger Co. operates as a retailer in the United States. The company operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. As of January 29, 2022, the company operated 2,726 supermarkets under various banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia.

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October 11, 2022

ForgeRock sold for $2.3 billion

ForgeRock to be acquired by Thoma Bravo for $23.25 per share in cash

ForgeRock announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Thoma Bravo for $23.25 per share, in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $2.3B.

The offer represents a premium of approximately 53% over ForgeRock’s closing share price on October 10, the last full trading day prior to the transaction announcement, and a premium of approximately 44% over the volume weighted average price of ForgeRock stock for the 30 days ending October 10.

The transaction, which was unanimously approved by the ForgeRock board of directors, is currently expected to close in the first half of 2023, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by ForgeRock’s shareholders and the receipt of required regulatory approvals.

ForgeRock, Inc. operates a digital identity platform to secure, manage, and govern the identities of customers, employees, partners, application programing interfaces (APIs), microservices, devices, and the Internet of things worldwide. It offers identity management products to automate onboarding/registration and progressive profiling, identity lifecycle and relationship management, identity provisioning and synchronization, user self-service, personalization, delegation, and privacy and consent management.

Upon completion of the transaction, ForgeRock’s common stock will no longer be publicly listed and ForgeRock will become a privately held company.

FORG is up $7.38 to $22.53.

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October 4, 2022

Musk offers to buy Twitter at original price!

Twitter jumps after Musk offers deal on original terms

Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk is proposing to buy Twitter (TWTR) for the original offer price of $54.20 per share, Jeff Feeley and Ed Hammond of Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter.

Musk made the proposal in a letter to Twitter, sources told Bloomberg. Shares of Tesla (TSLA) moved well off their highs after Bloomberg reported, and CNBC followed, that its CEO Elon Musk is proposing to buy Twitter (TWTR) for the original offer price of $54.20 per share. Shares of Twitter are halted at $47.93 pending news while Tesla shares paired their gains to up about 2% to $247.29.

Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk has offered to close his acquisition of Twitter (TWTR) on the terms he originally agreed to, Cara Lombardo and Dana Cimilluca of WSJ report, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Musk’s lawyers communicated the proposal to Twitter’s lawyers overnight Monday and filed a letter confidentially with the Delaware Chancery Court ahead of an emergency hearing on the matter Tuesday, the person said.

The two sides are discussing how to ensure the deal can be closed, according to Lombardo and Cimilluca. The judge overseeing the case requested they come back to her by the end of the day with a potential plan that would allow the litigation to be dropped, a source told the Journal.

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September 19, 2022

KnowBe4 receives buyout offer!

KnowBe4 confirms receipt of $24 per share proposal from Vista

KnowBe4 (KNBE) confirmed the receipt of a non-binding proposal from Vista Equity Partners to acquire all outstanding shares of the Company for $24 per share in cash.

KnowBe4, Inc. engages in the development, marketing, and sale of its Software-as-a-Service-based security awareness platform. The company provides a platform incorporating security awareness training and simulated phishing with analytics and reporting that helps organizations manage the ongoing problem of social engineering.

The company also offers Security Coach, a solution to address human behavior risks through human detection and response; and PasswordIQ that would be used to mitigate risk related to password hygiene issues, such as weak or breached passwords. It serves its customers directly through inside sales teams for enterprise and small and medium businesses, as well as indirectly through channel partners and managed service providers.

The proposal represents a 39% premium to KnowBe4’s closing price on September 16, 2022.

The Company’s Board of Directors regularly considers opportunities to enhance value for its stockholders.

In response to an inquiry from Vista, the Board formed a special committee of the Board, comprised solely of independent directors, to engage with Vista and take other actions that it deems appropriate, with the assistance of independent financial and legal advisors.

Consistent with its mandate, and in consultation with its legal and financial advisors, the Special Committee will carefully review the Vista proposal and other potential value creation opportunities to determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interests of KnowBe4 and its stockholders.

KNBE is up 29% to $22.30.

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August 8, 2022

Global Blood Therapeutics sold for $5.4 billion

Pfizer to acquire Global Blood Therapeutics for $68.50 per share in cash

Pfizer (PFE) and Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT) announced the companies have entered into a definitive agreement under which Pfizer will acquire GBT, a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and delivery of life-changing treatments that provide hope to underserved patient communities, starting with sickle cell disease.

Under the terms of the transaction, Pfizer will acquire all the outstanding shares of GBT for $68.50 per share in cash, for a total enterprise value of approximately $5.4B, including debt and net of cash acquired.

The Boards of Directors of both companies have unanimously approved the transaction. Pfizer expects to finance the transaction with existing cash on hand.

The proposed transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals and approval by GBT’s stockholders.

Due to the proposed transaction, GBT will not hold its previously scheduled conference call to discuss its second quarter 2022 financial results. The company will file its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending June 30, 2022 with the U.S. SEC announcing those results on August 8.

Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the discovery, development, and delivery of treatments for underserved patient communities with sickle cell disease (SCD). The company offers Oxbryta tablets, an oral, once-daily therapy for SCD.

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August 8, 2022

Emerson Electric to sell InSinkErator to Whirlpool for $3B

Whirlpool confirms pact with Emerson Electric to acquire InSinkErator for $3B

Whirlpool (WHR) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Emerson Electric (EMR) to acquire InSinkErator, the world’s largest manufacturer of food waste disposers and instant hot water dispensers for home and commercial use, in an all-cash transaction for $3B.

The acquisition is expected to be immediately accretive to Whirlpool Corporation’s margins, adding approximately $1.25 EPS accretion in fiscal 2023.

Whirlpool also expects to generate revenue upside by capitalizing on InSinkErator’s leading consumer brand preference, an installed base that is five times larger than the rest of the industry driving a recurring sales profile, the strong underlying secular tailwinds of the U.S. housing market, and the expansion of the InSinkErator brand into new markets and product offerings.

Whirlpool plans to initially fund the acquisition through available liquidity, with new debt put in place at a later date.

The acquisition, which has been approved by the Board of Directors of both companies, is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Whirlpool’s 2022 guidance remains unchanged.

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August 5, 2022

Hey Alexa vacuum my room!

iRobot to be acquired by Amazon for $61/share in deal valued at $1.7B

Amazon (AMZN) and iRobot (IRBT) announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Amazon will acquire iRobot. Amazon will acquire iRobot for $61 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.7B, including iRobot’s net debt.

We know that saving time matters, and chores take precious time that can be better spent doing something that customers love,” said Dave Limp, SVP of Amazon Devices.

“Over many years, the iRobot team has proven its ability to reinvent how people clean with products that are incredibly practical and inventive-from cleaning when and where customers want while avoiding common obstacles in the home, to automatically emptying the collection bin.

Customers love iRobot products-and I’m excited to work with the iRobot team to invent in ways that make customers’ lives easier and more enjoyable.”

Amazon will acquire iRobot for $61 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.7B, including iRobot’s net debt.

Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by iRobot’s shareholders and regulatory approvals.

On completion, Colin Angle will remain as CEO of iRobot.

In light of the transaction with Amazon.com, iRobot will not hold its Q2 financial results conference call, which was originally scheduled for August 10.

In addition, iRobot has withdrawn its prior 2022 financial expectations issued in early May, as well as its long-term financial targets provided in December 2021. Given the ongoing disruptions and uncertainty that could impact the company’s outlook, iRobot is suspending its practice of providing financial guidance.

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July 28, 2022

JetBlue buys Spirit Airlines

JetBlue to acquire Spirit at $33.50 per share in cash or $7.6B enterprise value

JetBlue Airways (JBLU) and Spirit Airlines (SAVE) announced that their boards of directors have approved a definitive merger agreement under which JetBlue will acquire Spirit for $33.50 per share in cash, including a prepayment of $2.50 per share in cash payable upon Spirit stockholders’ approval of the transaction and a ticking fee of $0.10 per month starting in January 2023 through closing, for an aggregate fully diluted equity value of $3.8B and an adjusted enterprise value of $7.6B.

The transaction consideration of $33.50 per share implies an aggregate fully diluted equity value of approximately $3.8 billion and an adjusted enterprise value of $7.6 billion.

JetBlue expects to achieve $600M-700M in net annual synergies once integration is complete, driven in large part by expanded customer offerings resulting from the greater breadth and depth of the combined network.

The combined company is projected to have annual revenues of approximately $11.9 billion based on 2019 revenues. JetBlue expects the transaction to be significantly accretive to earnings per share in the first full year following closing.

JetBlue expects to maintain balance sheet flexibility with post-transaction leverage of 3.0-3.5x, well inside historical levels, and to continue its deleveraging trajectory as it captures synergies.”

“The completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals and approval of Spirit’s stockholders.

The companies expect to conclude the regulatory process and close the transaction no later than the first half of 2024.

The four largest carriers control more than 80% of the market. Creating a low-fare, customer-centric challenger with size and scale is the best opportunity to disrupt legacy carrier pricing in the current landscape.

Even as the fifth-largest carrier, JetBlue, with Spirit, would have only 9% market share, compared to 13% for the fourth-largest airline and 23% for the largest carrier.

After the combination and with its committed upfront divestitures, the largest seat share a combined JetBlue-Spirit will have in any of its largest metro areas is 40%, compared to the 57-91% share legacy carriers have in their largest metro areas.

The airlines will continue to operate independently until after the transaction closes and their respective loyalty programs remain unchanged and customer accounts will not be affected in any way.

Following completion of the acquisition, the combined airline will be based in New York and be led by Robin Hayes. As previously announced, Spirit has terminated its prior merger agreement with Frontier. JetBlue has terminated its previously announced all-cash tender offer to acquire Spirit common stock.”

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May 10, 2022

Biohaven sold for $11.6B

Pfizer to acquire Biohaven Pharmaceuticals for $148.50 per share

Pfizer (PFE) and Biohaven Pharmaceutical (BHVN) announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement under which Pfizer will acquire Biohaven, the maker of NURTEC ODT, a dual-acting migraine therapy approved for both acute treatment and episodic prevention of migraine in adults.

Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will acquire all outstanding shares of Biohaven not already owned by Pfizer for $148.50 per share in cash.

Biohaven common shareholders, including Pfizer, will also receive 0.5 of a share of New Biohaven, a new publicly traded company that will retain Biohaven’s non-CGRP development stage pipeline compounds, per Biohaven common share.

The boards of directors of both Biohaven and Pfizer have unanimously approved the transaction.

Pfizer will pay transaction consideration totaling approximately $11.6B in cash.

Pfizer will also make payments at closing to settle Biohaven’s third party debt and for the redemption of all outstanding shares of Biohaven’s redeemable preferred stock.

The $148.50 cash consideration represents a premium of approximately 33% to Biohaven’s volume weighted average selling price of $111.70 over the three months prior to the announcement of the transaction.

This agreement follows on the November 9, 2021 collaboration for the commercialization of rimegepant and zavegepant outside the United States, in connection with which Pfizer invested $350M to acquire 2.6% of Biohaven’s common stock at $173 per share.

Following the closing, New Biohaven will continue to operate under the Biohaven name.

New Biohaven will be led by Vlad Coric, MD, as Chairman and CEO, and include other members of the current management team of Biohaven.

Biohaven common shareholders will receive, for each Biohaven share, 0.5 of a share of New Biohaven distributed via a pro rata distribution of SEC-registered, publicly listed shares. At distribution, New Biohaven will be capitalized with $275M of cash.

New Biohaven will also have the right to receive tiered royalties from Pfizer on any annual net sales of rimegepant and zavegepant in the United States in excess of $5.25B.

Pfizer expects to finance the transaction with existing cash on hand. Pfizer’s acquisition of Biohaven is subject to the completion of the New Biohaven spin-off transaction and other customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals and approval by Biohaven’s shareholders.

The companies expect the transaction to close by early 2023.

Due to the proposed transaction, Biohaven will not hold a conference call to discuss its first quarter 2022 financial results and will issue a press release and file a quarterly report on Form 10-Q with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announcing those results on May 10, the companies noted.

BHVN is up $58.08 to $141.22.

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May 5, 2022

Silicon Motion sold for $8B

MaxLinear to acquire Silicon Motion for $114.34 per share consideration

MaxLinear (MXL) and Silicon Motion (SIMO) announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which MaxLinear will acquire Silicon Motion in a cash and stock transaction that values the combined company at $8B in enterprise value.

Combined revenues are expected to be more than $2B annually and are supported by the technology breadth to address a total market opportunity of roughly $15B.

The transaction is expected to generate annual run-rate synergies of at least $100M to be realized within 18 months after the transaction closes and is expected to be immediately and materially accretive to MaxLinear’s non-GAAP earnings per share and cash flow.

Under the terms of the definitive agreement, the transaction consideration will consist of $93.54 in cash and 0.388 shares of MaxLinear stock for each Silicon Motion ADS and $23.385 in cash and 0.097 shares of MaxLinear common stock for each Silicon Motion ordinary share not represented by an ADS.

Upon closing of the transaction, MaxLinear shareholders will own approximately 86% of the combined company and Silicon Motion stockholders will own approximately 14% of the combined company.

Based on the closing price of MaxLinear shares on May 4, the implied value of the total transaction consideration for Silicon Motion is $3.8B. MaxLinear intends to fund the $3.1B of cash consideration with cash on hand from the combined companies and fully committed debt financing from Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

The transaction is not subject to any financing conditions and is expected to close by the first half of calendar 2023, pending satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including Silicon Motion shareholders’ approval and regulatory approvals in various jurisdictions.

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation designs, develops, and markets NAND flash controllers for solid-state storage devices. It offers controllers for computing-grade solid state drives (SSDs), which are used in PCs and other client devices; enterprise-grade SSDs used in data centers; eMMC and UFS mobile embedded storage for use in smartphones and IoT devices; flash memory cards and flash drives for use in expandable storage; and specialized SSDs that are used in industrial, commercial, and automotive applications.

SIMO last traded $96.52. MXL last traded at $44.26.

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April 19, 2022

American Campus sold for $12.8B

American Campus to be acquired by Blackstone for $65.47 per share in cash

American Campus Communities (ACC) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which Blackstone (BX) Core+ perpetual capital vehicles, primarily comprised of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, alongside Blackstone Property Partners, will acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of ACC for $65.47 per fully diluted share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $12.8B, including the assumption of debt.

American Campus Communities, Inc. is the largest owner, manager and developer of high-quality student housing communities in the United States. The company is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered equity real estate investment trust (REIT) with expertise in the design, finance, development, construction management and operational management of student housing properties.

The purchase price represents a premium of 22% to the 90-calendar day volume-weighted average share price ending April 18, a premium of 30% over the closing stock price of February 16, the date immediately prior to the company disclosing receipt of an indication of willingness to offer to acquire the company, and a 14% premium to yesterday’s closing price.

The transaction has been unanimously approved by ACC’s board of directors and the independent Special Committee of ACC’s board and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022, subject to approval by ACC’s shareholders and other customary closing conditions.

As a condition to the transaction, ACC has agreed to suspend payment of its quarterly dividend, effective immediately.

ACC shares are up $7.25 to $64.83.

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March 29, 2022

Nielsen sold for $16 billion

Brookfield Business Partners enters partnership to acquire Nielsen in $16B deal

Brookfield Business Partners (BBU) announced it has entered into a partnership to acquire Nielsen Holdings plc (NLSN) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $16B.

Nielsen Holdings operates as a measurement and data analytics company worldwide. The company provides viewership and listening data, and analytics principally to media publishers and marketers, and advertising agencies for television, computer, mobile, CTV, digital, and listening platforms.

The companies said, investment highlights include, “Market-leading position. Nielsen is a global leader in audience measurement and a trusted partner to its customers across the entire media ecosystem.

The Company has more than 50 years of statistically significant historical data and its scale is unmatched by competitors.

Nielsen’s measurement data underpins the $100+ billion video and audio advertising markets and its measurement data is the established industry standard by which video and audio advertising spend transacts. Resilient performance and outlook.

The Company’s history of consistent growth is driven by its valued offering and longstanding customer relationships.

Nielsen’s scale and existing market position should support the Company’s ability to consistently grow its measurement business.

Value creation potential. Nielsen is well positioned to be the leader in cross-media measurement as audience viewership behavior continues to evolve.

The development and adoption of Nielsen ONE, Nielsen’s cross-media measurement service, will deliver a unified measure of consumer viewership across all media and support the Company’s growth strategy.”

Brookfield will invest approximately $2.65B by way of preferred equity, convertible into 45% of Nielsen’s common equity. Brookfield will be actively involved in the Company’s governance.

Brookfield Business Partners expects to invest approximately $600M, and the balance of Brookfield’s investment will be funded from institutional partners.

Prior to or following closing, a portion of Brookfield Business Partners’ commitment may be syndicated to other institutional investors.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the second half of 2022.

NLSN is up $4.58 to $26.81.

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March 28, 2022

Poly sold for $3.3 billion

HP Inc. to acquire Poly in all-cash transaction for $40 per share

HP Inc. (HPQ) announced a definitive agreement to acquire Poly (POLY), a global provider of workplace collaboration solutions, in an all-cash transaction for $40 per share, implying a total enterprise value of $3.3B, inclusive of Poly’s net debt.

The company said, “The acquisition accelerates HP’s strategy to create a more growth-oriented portfolio, further strengthens its industry opportunity in hybrid work solutions, and positions the company for long-term sustainable growth and value creation.

The rise of hybrid work is creating sustained demand for technology that enables seamless collaboration across home and office environments.

Approximately 75% of office workers are investing to improve their home setups to support new ways of working. Traditional office spaces are also being reconfigured to support hybrid work and collaboration, with a focus on meeting room solutions.

Currently, there are more than 90 million rooms, of which less than 10% have video capability. As a result, the office meeting room solutions segment is expected to triple by 2024.

Poly will help drive the growth and scale of HP’s peripherals and workforce solutions businesses.

Peripherals represent a $110B segment opportunity growing 9% annually, driven by the need for more immersive experiences.

Workforce solutions represent a $120B segment opportunity that is growing 8% annually, as companies invest in digital services to set up, manage, and secure more distributed IT ecosystems.

Poly’s devices, software and services, combined with HP’s strengths across compute, device management, and security, creates a robust portfolio of hybrid meeting solutions.

Poly, previously known as Plantronics, is a leader in video conferencing solutions, cameras, headsets, voice and software.

Together, HP and Poly will deliver a complete ecosystem of devices, software, and digital services to create premium employee experiences, improve workforce productivity, and provide enterprise customers with better visibility, insights, security, and manageability across their hybrid IT environments.”

HP expects the transaction to be immediately accretive to HP’s revenue growth, margins, and non-GAAP EPS at close.

With the expanded value proposition of a complete hybrid work solution, combined with HP’s scale and go-to-market capabilities, HP expects to realize substantial revenue synergies in peripherals as well as meeting room and workforce solutions.

HP will be able to cross-sell across its global commercial and consumer sales channels, while driving incremental sales from combining Poly’s products with HP’s PC portfolio.

As a result, HP expects to achieve $500 million of revenue synergies by FY25 and accelerate Poly’s revenue growth to an approximately 15% CAGR over the first three years after closing.

In addition, HP expects the transaction to improve Poly’s operating margins by approximately six percentage points from current levels by FY25, driven by scale efficiencies across supply chain, manufacturing and overhead. The transaction is expected to close by the end of calendar 2022, subject to Poly stockholder approval, required regulatory clearances, and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

HP will finance the transaction through a combination of balance sheet cash and new debt. This transaction is consistent with HP’s capital returns program target.

HP remains committed to aggressively buying back shares of at least $4B in FY22, and to returning significant capital to shareholders while continuing to invest in growth.

POLY is up $13.14 to $39.34.

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March 21, 2022

Alleghany sold for $11.6 billion

Berkshire Hathaway to acquire Alleghany for $848.02 per share

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Alleghany (Y) jointly announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Berkshire Hathaway will acquire all outstanding Alleghany shares for $848.02 per share in cash.

Alleghany Corporation provides property and casualty reinsurance and insurance products in the United States and internationally.

The transaction, which was unanimously approved by both boards of directors, represents a total equity value of approximately $11.6B.

Stockwinners offers real time news and information — Buffett buys Alleghany

The acquisition price represents a multiple of 1.26 times Alleghany’s book value at December 31, 2021, a 29% premium to Alleghany’s average stock price over the last 30 days and a 16% premium to Alleghany’s 52-week high closing price.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Alleghany stockholders and receipt of regulatory approvals.

Alleghany will continue to operate as an independent subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway after closing.

Chairman Jefferson Kirby, who controls 2.5% of Alleghany common shares, intends to vote his shares for the transaction.

Under the terms of the definitive merger agreement, Alleghany may actively solicit and consider alternative acquisition proposals during a 25-day “go-shop” period.

Alleghany has the right to terminate the merger agreement to accept a superior proposal during the go-shop period, subject to the terms and conditions of the merger agreement.

There can be no assurances that the “go-shop” process will result in a superior proposal, and Alleghany does not intend to communicate developments regarding the process unless and until Alleghany’s board of directors makes a determination requiring further disclosure.

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