Technology
Lexmark Receives CFIUS Approval for China Deal
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Shares of Lexmark International Inc. (NYSE: LXK) jumped on the news that it received approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for its Apex deal. Essentially, the U.S. regulators said that there were no qualms in terms of national security issues involved with the acquisition by the Chinese consortium.
The agreement was unanimously approved by the board of directors back in April.
The deal is an all-cash transaction valued at roughly $3.6 billion, or $40.50 per share. This represented a premium of roughly 30% from the closing price on October 21, 2015 (the date prior to the news of Lexmark’s exploration of strategic alternatives becoming public).
The Chinese consortium intends to maintain Lexmark’s corporate headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky. Paul Rooke, chairman and chief executive of Lexmark, is expected to continue to lead Lexmark after the transaction closes.
After the completion of the transaction, the stock will no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange.
Rooke commented on the transaction:
This is an exciting transaction that Lexmark’s Board of Directors believes is in the best interests of our shareholders following an exhaustive strategic alternatives review process to maximize value. The transaction will benefit our customers and provide new opportunities for our employees.
He continued:
As part of the Consortium, Lexmark will be able to reach the next level of growth and innovation, to the benefit of our customers, business partners and suppliers, faster than we could achieve on our own. With the Consortium’s resources, we will be able to continue to invest in and grow the business to more fully penetrate the Asia Pacific market for hardware, software and managed print services.
Excluding Friday’s move, the stock has outperformed the broad markets and is up about 12% year to date. Over the past 52 weeks, the stock is actually up 26%.
Shares of Lexmark were trading up over 13% at $39.95 early Friday, with a consensus analyst price target of $37.70 and a 52-week trading range of $24.11 to $39.99.
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