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Dulux Group rose 27.2 per cent in the ASX today after announcing the Aussie paint company was bought out by Japanese Nippon Paint for a lucrative $3.8 billion.
The acquisition is being implemented via a scheme of arrangement at $9.80 per share in cash. The Dulux board unanimously supported the acquisition this morning and recommends shareholders to do the same.
DuluxGroup will not change the name of the business and will be operated as a separate division from Nippon. The deal will mark Nippon entering the Australian and New Zealand market.
Nippon Paints generated approximately A$7.8 billion in sales for the 2018 financial year. Nippon currently operates in Asia, Europe, and the US.
DuluxGroup Chairman Graeme Liebelt says the move is in favour of maximising value, domestic and global growth for the company.
“Nippon has been extremely complimentary of DuluxGroup’s team, capability, high-quality businesses and track record of performance, all of which they want to maintain,” he said.
The share price represents a 27.8 per cent premium to the last closing price of $7.67.
The takeover, however, is still subject to the approval of shareholders, the courts, NZ overseas investment office, and the Foreign Investment Review Board.
Nippon CEO Tetsuhis Tado says the acquisition will provide further growth for Dulux.
“Nippon intends to maintain the legacy developed by DuluxGroup and facilitate DuluxGroup’s existing vision by leveraging the resources of the broader Nippon platform,” he said.
DuluxGroup shareholders will vote on the takeover in a meeting in late July.
