A hostile takeover is when one company tries to obtain another company through hostile or unfriendly means. This can include a tender offer, where the hostile company makes an offer to buy the other company’s shares directly from shareholders, or a proxy fight, where the hostile company tries to replace the other company’s board of directors.
The machinations of hostile takeovers may seem remote for regular investors. However, if you own shares of the companies involved, the outcomes of a takeover can be important for short- and long-term stock price movements.
How Hostile Takeovers Work
A hostile takeover is a type of legal acquisition in which a bidder — either another company or an investor — tries to purchase a target company without the approval of the target company’s board of directors. Hostile takeovers are often characterized by aggressive tactics such as proxy fights, tender offers, and open letters to shareholders.
In a hostile takeover, the bidder seeks to acquire a majority stake in the target company without the approval of the target’s board of directors. This aggressive action contrasts with typical acquisitions, where two companies work together to agree on a deal, and the board of directors of the target company approves of the purchase.
Hostile takeovers happen when a target company’s management refuses initial takeover offers, but the bidding company is persistent in its efforts to acquire the company.
There are many reasons why a company or investor may try to take over another company. Sometimes it is because the stock market undervalues the target company’s shares, and the bidder believes that they can increase the company’s value. Other times, it may be because the bidder wants the target company’s assets, brand recognition, or market share.
If the company making the hostile takeover successfully acquires a majority of the shares, then it can gain control of the target company. Once in power, the acquiring company can make changes to the target company’s management, strategy, and operations. In some cases, the company making the hostile takeover may take steps to increase the value of the company, such as selling off non-core assets, cutting costs, or increasing investment in research and development.
Hostile Takeover Strategies
There are a few ways a company may pursue a hostile takeover. Sometimes a bidder may try to buy a significant percentage of shares of the target company on the open market, hoping to gain enough voting power to persuade the board of directors to accept a takeover offer. If that doesn’t work, the bidder uses its voting power to change management.
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The bidder may also take aggressive measures, such as making open letters to shareholders or launching a public relations campaign to pressure the target company’s management to accept the offer. The most common hostile takeover tactics include:
• Tender offers: A tender offer is when the bidding company reaches out directly to the target company’s shareholders, offering to purchase shares — usually at a premium to the current market value. The bidder pursues a tender offer to bypass a company’s leadership and get enough shares to have a controlling stake in the company. Each shareholder can then decide if they want to sell the stake in the company.
• Proxy fights: A proxy fight is a battle between competing groups of shareholders to gain control of a company. In a hostile takeover, a bidder, which usually owns a portion of the target company’s stock, tries to persuade other shareholders to vote out the target company’s management. This may allow the bidder to replace the board of directors and seize control of the company.
Examples of Hostile Takeovers
A hostile takeover usually starts when the acquiring company makes an unsolicited bid to purchase the target company. If the board of directors of the target company doesn’t approve of the proposal, they may reject the offer. The acquiring company then will pursue a hostile takeover bid by going directly to the shareholders or trying to replace the board of directors.
However, hostile takeovers don’t usually reach this conclusion. The target companies may defend themselves, causing the bidding company to drop the takeover attempt. Or the target company’s board of directors will relent and eventually agree to terms on an acquisition.
Sanofi’s Acquisition of Genzyme
The French healthcare company Sanofi (SNY) attempted a hostile takeover of the American pharmaceutical firm Genzyme in 2010. Before the hostile bid, Sanofi’s management made several friendly offers to buy Genzyme, but the American company’s management declined. As a result, Sanofi courted shareholders to gather support for a deal and made a tender offer. This put pressure on Genzyme management to finally accept a deal, which they did. Sanofi bought Genzyme for $20.1 billion in 2011.
Kraft Foods’ Takeover of Cadbury
Kraft Foods (KHC), an American food company, launched a hostile bid for Cadbury, a UK-based chocolate company, in 2009. The hostile takeover was motivated by Kraft’s desire to increase its market share in the global confectionery market and acquire Cadbury’s valuable portfolio of brands. Cadbury’s management opposed the takeover and put together a hostile takeover defense team. Also, Cadbury shareholders and the UK government opposed the deal. However, Kraft was ultimately successful in acquiring Cadbury, and the takeover was completed in 2010 for $19.6 billion.
Oracle’s Purchase of PeopleSoft
Oracle (ORCL), the computer software and technology company, launched a hostile takeover of PeopleSoft in June 2003. PeopleSoft attempted to defend itself from the takeover, enacting a poison pill provision. However, Oracle made a tender offer to PeopleSoft shareholders, and nearly 60% of shareholders agreed to sell. PeopleSoft management thus relented, agreeing to sell the company to Oracle for $10.3 billion.
How Can Companies Defend Against Hostile Takeovers?
Companies can deploy various strategies to defend against a potential or imminent hostile takeover. These defensive plans are intended to make the hostile takeover more difficult, expensive, or less attractive to the bidder.
Poison Pill
Companies may adopt a shareholder rights plan, more commonly known as a poison pill, to protect themselves from a hostile bidder. With a poison pill, the target company’s shareholders have the right to purchase additional shares at a discount if a hostile takeover attempt is made, diluting the ownership of the existing shareholders. This makes it more expensive for the acquirer to buy a controlling stake in the company and often deters hostile takeover attempts altogether.
Golden Parachute
A golden parachute is a hostile takeover defense where the target company offers its top executives large severance packages if another firm takes over the company and the executives are terminated due to the acquisition. This makes the purchase more expensive and unattractive for a potential buyer.
Pac-Man Defense
A Pac-Man defense is an offensive strategy employed by a target company in a hostile takeover attempt. A Pac-Man defense refers to a target company that fights back against a hostile bidder by launching its own takeover bid for the bidder.
How Hostile Takeovers Affect Investors
A hostile takeover can significantly affect investors who own shares of either the target or bidding company, causing uncertainty in short- and long-term stock market prospects.
In the short term, investors who own shares of the competing companies may see share prices rise or fall, depending on whether the markets view the proposal as a good or bad deal.
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The target company’s management may also make the company less attractive to a bidder, such as by adopting poison pill provisions or increasing debt levels. These tactics may increase costs and debt burdens, which may negatively impact the long-term outlook for the company.
However, the target company’s share price may be positively affected as the hostile company tries to buy the target company’s shares at a premium.
If the hostile takeover is successful, the investors in the target company may see a change in the management of the company, as well as a potential change in the company’s strategy. This may change the long-term outlook for the company, which may be bullish or bearish for investors.
On a macro level, a hostile takeover can also affect the industries in which the target company and bidder operate. If the hostile takeover is successful, the industry may see a consolidation of companies, affecting market competition and share prices of related firms.
The Takeaway
The term hostile takeover evokes an image of corporate raiders and a feeling of the 1980s, when the strategy first became popular. However, hostile takeovers, while rare, continue to this day.
Investors may hear about these hostile takeover bids in the financial press, causing them to wonder how it all affects them and their portfolios. There is no definitive answer, however. In some situations, the stocks of the companies involved may go up, and the stocks may go down in other situations. In the end, it’s essential to monitor the news of the deal carefully and pay attention to price fluctuations in the market.
With the SoFi app, you can monitor your portfolio and keep track of the latest market news, so you can keep up on the latest details of takeover events. Additionally, you can trade stocks online with SoFi Invest® with as little as $5.
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