Description: HJ Heinz Co.’s longtime leader Bill Johnson stood in the Veranda ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco, addressing the ketchup maker’s top 50 executives for the last time. Around the corner in a smaller room, his successor as chief executive officer, Bernardo Hees, waited to tell some of the same managers whether… Read more »
Posts Tagged: M&A
Companies Embrace Low Interest Rates by Selling Bonds to Raise Billions
Description: For companies looking to raise money through the debt markets, and the bankers egging them on, it seems no sum is too large.Verizon Communications shattered records and shook up the bond world on Wednesday when it sold $49 billion of investment-grade corporate debt at one time. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Sep 11, 2013 Link: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/verizon-set-for-49-billion-debt-sale/?ref=business… Read more »
Investors can hear Verizon now
Description: Shares of Verizon soar on reports that the company might make a deal with UK-based partner Vodafone to finally buy out its 45% stake in Verizon Wireless. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: August 29, 2013 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2013/08/29/investing-the-buzz-verizon-wireless-deal-vodafone.cnnmoney/index.html Questions for Discussions: Why would Verizon want to buy Vodafone’s shares? Is the debt a concern?… Read more »
BlackBerry buyout unlikely
Description: Smartphone maker BlackBerry Inc. (BBRY) is “open” to going private, according to Reuters. How delightful. In related news, my toddler is “open” to getting a pony for her next birthday. Source: Fortune.com Date: August 09, 2013 Link: http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2013/08/09/blackberry-buyout-unlikely/ Questions for Discussions: Summarize the financial conditions at the firm. Why is a buyout unlikely, according to… Read more »
Yahoo Board Approves Purchase of Tumblr, WSJ Journal Says
Description: Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO)’s board has approved a $1.1 billion acquisition of Tumblr Inc., a service that hosts 108 million blogs, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: May 19, 2013 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-19/yahoo-board-approves-purchase-of-tumblr-wsj-journal-says.html Questions for Discussions: What is the logic behind this acquisition? How would you evaluate… Read more »
Berkshire CEOs Spend Quietly, Match Buffett on Heinz
Description: Warren Buffett stole headlines when he committed $12.1 billion in a deal to take ketchup maker HJ Heinz Co. (HNZ) private this year. Managers at his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK/A) spent as much in 2012 while attracting less attention. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: May 10, 2013 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-10/berkshire-ceos-spend-quietly-match-buffett-on-heinz-deal.html Questions for Discussions: What does this report… Read more »
Boutique Vintners Turn to Private Equity for Help
Description: When Ed Sbragia started Sbragia Family Vineyards, it was an accomplishment that was nearly a century in the making. His grandfather moved from Italy to California in 1904 to work in the wineries just north of San Francisco. In the 1940s, Mr. Sbragia’s father bought property in the Dry Creek Valley near Healdsburg and… Read more »
Dell: We’ve got 99 problems but the bid ain’t one
Description: Dell Inc. (DELL) today filed a proxy statement, detailing the process leading up its its $24.4 billion buyout proposal from CEO Michael Dell and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners. The proxy also includes details from the company’s recent “go-shop” period, which resulted in nonbinding indications of interest from The Blackstone Group (BX) and… Read more »
Dividend not in CGI Group’s plans: CEO
Description: Paying a dividend to shareholders is not the right use of its money, CGI Group (CGI-T 16.44 -0.05 -0.3%) chief executive Michael Roach tells BNN, as the company, which was recently crowned Canada’s biggest technology firm, builds up funds for potential acquisitions. CGI shareholders, along with the stockholders of most publicly-traded companies, have… Read more »
You Haven’t Missed the Stock Rally: Goldman’s Cohen
Description: The rally in the stock market is real and supported by the fundamentals, Goldman Sachs’s Abby Joseph Cohen told CNBC on Friday. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Mar 01, 2013 Link: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100511332 Questions for Discussions: Summarize the analysis presented in this report. Do you agree with Abby Joseph Cohen?
