Safran Agrees to Buy Zodiac Aerospace -- Update
January 19 2017 - 2:04AM
Dow Jones News
By Robert Wall
LONDON--French aerospace supplier Safran SA said Thursday it had
agreed to buy Zodiac Aerospace in a deal that values the
beleaguered French plane cabin interiors specialist at EUR8.5
billion ($9 billion).
The two companies said Safran would create the world's No. 3
aerospace supplier with a combined EUR21 billion in shares.
Safran would pay EUR29.47 a Zodiac Share. Investors would
receive 0.485 Safran shares for each Zodiac share excluding a
EUR5.5 a share special dividend to be paid before closing. Zodiac
shares closed Wednesday at EUR23.31.
Both boards back the deal that still requires shareholder
approval and that from regulators.
The move comes only three months after Rockwell Collins Inc.
agreed to pay $6.4 billion to buy Zodiac's chief rival B/E
Aerospace Inc. in a deal that would unite two of the biggest
suppliers to airlines and plane makers.
The world's largest plane makers Boeing Co. and Airbus SE are
putting increased pressure on their suppliers for discounts as they
seek to win orders from airlines for their new planes by offering
lower prices. That has caused suppliers to seek greater scale to
gain efficiencies.
Safran and Zodiac said the combination of the two French
companies would generate at least EUR200 million in annual pretax
savings. Half of those would be generated in the first year, the
companies said.
Safran chairman Ross McInnes said the deal underpinned the
company's plan to bolster its aerospace activities.
Safran, a maker of everything form plane wiring to aircraft
engines, has long had interest in acquiring the smaller French
aircraft supplier. Zodiac in 2010 rejected a takeover proposal from
Safran.
The renewed takeover plan comes after a turbulent period for
Zodiac. The company fell behind on providing seats to airlines for
Boeing and Airbus jets, angering customers, delaying plane
deliveries, and causing some carriers to seek new suppliers. Airbus
also publicly chastised Zodiac for late delivery of plane toilet
components for the European plane maker's new A350 long-range
jet.
Shares in Zodiac had declined more than 10% over the past two
years despite record plane deliveries during the period.
Write to Robert Wall at robert.wall@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 19, 2017 01:49 ET (06:49 GMT)
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