Merger Arbitrage Mondays – Liberty Tax Agrees To Pay 44% More For Sears Hometown And Outlet Stores

Merger activity remained unchanged last week with four new deals announced and three deals closing. You can find all the active deals listed below in our Merger Arbitrage Tool (MAT) that automatically updates itself during market hours.

There were three new deals announced in the Deals in the Works section.

Deal Statistics:

New Deals:

1. The acquisition of SRC Energy (SRCI) by PDC Energy (PDCE) for $1.7 billion in an all stock deal. Under the terms of the agreement, SRC shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 0.158 PDC shares for each share of SRC common stock. We added SRCI as a potential deal to the Deals in the Works section on August 7, 2019, and the price after the news of the potential deal came out was $4.26.
2. The acquisition of Ecology & Environment (EEI) by WSP Global for $50.5 million. Under the terms of the agreement, E & E’s shareholders will receive $15.00 in cash, and a special dividend of up to $0.50, for each share of Class A and Class B common stock they own.
3. The acquisition of Castle Brands (ROX) by Pernod Ricard for $223 million or $1.27 per share in cash. We added ROX as a potential deal to the Deals in the Works section on April 26, 2017, and the price after the news of the potential deal came out was $1.62.
4. The acquisition of Reven Housing REIT (RVEN) by KBS Strategic Opportunity REIT for $56.85 million or approximately $5.15 per share in cash subject to adjustments.

Deal Updates:

1. On August 25, 2019, Celgene (CELG) and Amgen (AMGN) entered into an asset purchase agreement pursuant to which Celgene agreed to sell to Amgen its OTEZLA® product line for a cash purchase price of $13.4 billion. The consummation of the OTEZLA® Divestiture is subject to Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) and Celgene entering into a consent decree with the FTC in connection with the pending Merger. Subject to the FTC’s acceptance of a consent order and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, Celgene and Bristol-Myers Squibb currently expect to close the pending Merger by the end of 2019.
2. On August 26, 2019, shareholders of PCM, Inc. (PCMI) approved the company’s merger with Insight Enterprises (NSIT) at a special meeting of shareholders.
3. On August 26, 2019, WageWorks (WAGE) said it has received an unsolicited letter of interest from Mansa Parent that values the company at $58.58 a share. The company said its board has reviewed the letter and unanimously concluded that it contains significant contingencies and is not reasonably expected to result in a superior proposal under the terms of WageWorks’ previously announced merger with HealthEquity (HQY).
4. On August 27, 2019, Liberty Tax (TAXA) and Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores (SHOS) announced that they have entered into a definitive purchase agreement whereby Liberty Tax will acquire Sears Hometown’s Outlet business as well as its Buddy’s Home Furnishings Stores in an all cash transaction valued at up to approximately $132.9 million. As a result of the Sale, which is estimated to result in Net Proceeds of approximately $121 million, the merger consideration payable by Transform in the merger transaction for the outstanding shares of Sears Hometown not owned by ESL Investments and its affiliates is estimated to be approximately $3.25 per share in cash, an increase of approximately $1.00, or approximately 44.4%, from the previously announced base merger consideration of $2.25 per share.
5. On August 27, 2019, shareholders of Cray (CRAY) approved the company’s merger with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at a special meeting of shareholders.
6. On August 27, 2019, shareholders of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (CY) approved the company’s merger with Infineon Technologies AG (IFNNY) at a special meeting of shareholders.
7. On August 28, 2019, The European Union cleared the acquisition of Sotheby’s (BID) by BidFair USA.
8. On August 29, 2019, shareholders of Pointer Telocation (PNTR) approved the company’s merger with I.D. Systems (IDSY) at a special meeting of shareholders.
9. On August 29, 2019, shareholders of Hydrogenics Corporation (HYGS) approved the company’s merger with Cummins (CMI) at a special meeting of shareholders.
10. On August 29, 2019, shareholders of Total System Services (TSS) approved the company’s merger with Global Payments (GPN) at a special meeting of shareholders.
11. On August 31, 2019, Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai sought approval from his colleagues to order the go ahead for Nexstar Media Group (NXST) acquisition of Tribune Media (TRCO).

Closed Deals:

1. The acquisition of WageWorks (WAGE) by HealthEquity (HQY) on August 30, 2019. It took 64 days for this deal to be completed.
2. The acquisition of MBT Financial Corporation (MBTF) by First Merchants Corporation (FRME) on August 30, 2019. It took 324 days for this deal to be completed.
3. The acquisition of PCM (PCMI) by Insight Enterprises (NSIT) on August 30, 2019. It took 67 days for this deal to be completed.

Top deals with largest spreads:

List of all pending deals:

The list of all pending deals is only available to InsideArbitrage Premium and Plus members.

Disclaimer: I hold long positions in Mellanox Technologies (MLNX), Pacific Biosciences of California (PACB), Celgene (CELG), Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) and Finisar (FNSR). Please do your own due diligence before buying or selling any securities mentioned in this article. We do not warrant the completeness or accuracy of the content or data provided in this article.

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