Acquiree
What is an Acquiree? An acquiree is a company, business, or corporation that makes for a viable candidate for a merger or acquisition. The acquirer is the company purchasing another company. The process of acquiring the target company can follow different scenarios, depending on the attitude of the acquiree’s management. Often, the owners and shareholders...
Flip-Over Strategy
What is the Flip-over Strategy? The flip-over strategy is a poison pill strategy used by companies to help protect themselves from a hostile takeover. With the flip-over strategy, shareholders of the target company have the opportunity to purchase shares of the acquiring company – the company looking to engage in a hostile takeover – at...
Toehold Position/Purchase
What is a Toehold Position/Purchase? A toehold position is an acquisition or investment strategy where an investor targets a particular company but buys less than 5% of the company’s stock. This “toehold” position is sufficient to enable them to exert pressure on the company, whether aiming to ultimately acquire it or merely to raise its...
Mixed Offering
What is a Mixed Offering? In merger and acquisition transactions, a mixed offering (also known as a mixed payment) is a form of payment in which an acquirer uses a combination of cash and non-cash payment methods (e.g., equity) to fund the purchase of the target company. For example, an acquiring company employs a mixed...
Defense Mechanism
What is a Defense Mechanism? In M&A transactions, a defense mechanism (also known as a defense strategy) is any set of procedures that are employed by a target company to prevent a hostile takeover. A hostile takeover is a type of acquisition in which a bidder takes over a target company without the consent, and...
Pre-Offer Defense Mechanism
What is a Pre-offer Defense Mechanism? Pre-offer defense mechanism is a general term for a broad group of defensive strategies in M&A transactions. Essentially, the pre-offer defense mechanism is a preemptive strategy undertaken by a target company to protect itself from a possible bidding offer from a would-be acquirer in a hostile takeover. Objectives of Pre-offer...
Post-Offer Defense Mechanism
What is a Post-offer Defense Mechanism? “Post-offer defense mechanism” is a term used to label a broad group of strategies that can be employed by the target company of a hostile takeover. Unlike pre-offer defense strategies that are more concerned with preventative steps, post-offer defenses are executed when there is a real threat of a...
Killer Bees
What are Killer Bees? In the mergers and acquisitions landscape, “killer bees” refers to companies or individuals that assist a company in avoiding a hostile takeover. They are similar to white knights, but utilize a much wider range of takeover defense strategies. Killer bees derive their name partially from the fact that they typically act...
Show Stopper
What is a Show Stopper? As is true in the entertainment industry, a show stopper in the business/financial world is an event or situation that causes production or progress to cease. Forward movement, success, or completion of a task, assignment, or project are hindered because of a show-stopping event or circumstance. Show Stoppers in Hostile...
Friendly Takeovers vs Hostile Takeovers
What are Friendly Takeovers vs Hostile Takeovers? In mergers and acquisitions, there is often confusion between friendly takeovers vs hostile takeovers. How can one differentiate between the two? The difference between a friendly and hostile takeover is solely in the manner in which the company is taken over. In a friendly takeover, the target company’s...
