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Brown-Forman rejects Sazerac's renewed $15B takeover bid again
The company said the all-cash offer is not actionable, citing the Brown family voting bloc that controls more than half of voting stock, and noting Jack Daniel's share fell to 6.7% from 7.8% in 2021.
Brown-Forman Corporation again rejected a renewed takeover bid from privately held Sazerac, calling the proposal not actionable, according to Yahoo Finance. The offer is for $32 a share in an all-cash deal valued at about $15 billion.
Sazerac first made the bid on May 1 and renewed it after sending a July 24 letter to Brown-Forman Class A shareholders. The Brown family, via a voting group called Wolf Pen Branch, controls more than half of Brown-Forman voting stock, meaning shareholder pressure alone cannot force a sale.
Yahoo Finance also cited Brown-Forman's operating backdrop, including revenue declining for three straight years and CEO Lawson Whiting planning to retire after the company names a successor. The outlet said Jack Daniel's has lost market share, dropping to 6.7% of the U.S. whiskey market last year from 7.8% in 2021.
Sazerac’s proposal includes financing backing from Wells Fargo and Apollo Global Management, an option for shareholders to roll their stakes into the combined company, and a dividend higher than Brown-Forman currently pays. Yahoo Finance added that Brown-Forman previously held separate merger talks with Pernod Ricard that ended in late April over deal terms.