The current Allergan Inc. case illustrates many points we
have made in these posts. As we start to
think about our upcoming Amsterdam class on Structuring the Deal, it is useful
to review. The Allergan situation is an important illustration of the importance of corporate governance and the fact that when internal governance mechanisms (e.g., management and the board) overlook value creating strategies, external governance mechanisms (e.g., hostile bidders, arbitrageurs and the stock market itself) will force that change upon the firm. It is better to be proactive.
On April 22, 2014 Valeant announced a hostile bid for Allergan, explicitly noting its value creating strategy, with an estimated $80 billion in synergies to be achieved in the first six months. Allergan rejected the acquisition offer by Valeant but is now implementing many of the same strategies Valeant has proposed. Specifically, Allergan has focused heavily on research and development while Valeant has focused more on sales. Valeant said it would cut up to 20% of Allergan employees, primarily in R&D. Allergan rejected these initiatives but is now following a similar strategy in an attempt to pacify its shareholders. It has announced that it will lay off about 13% of its workers. Here are just a few of the lessons from past posts.
The Best Takeover Defense: Don't leave Money on the Table. Anticipate value creating activities and implement them, however painful. Continuously evaluate your firm's strategy, particularly in light of a changing environment. Consider Are You a Takeover Target? Take the corresponding action before external markets force change upon you. Don't wait for a hostile bidder to force you into action. Indeed, Do Unto Thyself.
Once your firm is in play, the ownership quickly shifts to arbitrageurs. The Speculation Spread between the offered bid price and the post announcement market price reveals the market's anticipated outcome for the deal (e.g., successful or unsuccessful acquisition and whether the bid will be revised). Once arbitrageurs are the major owners, a deal is much more likely to happen as their interest coincide with deal completion. As we noted in April, "The market is predicting a higher, successful bid as the Allergan's stock price on Monday closed well above the $153. value offered by Valeant." Allergan's shares closed at $171.14 on Monday.
This deal is reminiscent of the numerous oil takeovers in the 1980s. During the late 1970s, many companies began an extensive drilling program searching for more oil. By the 1980's two factors made that strategy hugely unprofitable. First, the price of oil fell from $40. a barrel to around $10. a barrel. Second interest rates rose from single to double digits. Thus, in terms of the present value equation, the numerator declined while the denominator rose. Not a good combination. Firms that failed to adjust were subsequently taken over.
To repeat, it is necessary to always consider if your current strategic course is the best one for maximizing value. If you get this wrong, you are likely to find out the hard way.
All the best,
Ralph
