On February 14, 2013, H.J. Heinz Company (“Heinz”), one of the world’s most iconic food companies, agreed to be acquired by an investment consortium comprised of 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway. Under the terms of the agreement, which was unanimously approved by Heinz’s Board of Directors, Heinz shareholders received $72.50 in cash for each share of common stock owned, in a transaction valued at $28 billion including the assumption of Heinz’s outstanding debt. The per share price represents a 20% premium to Heinz’s closing share price of $60.48 on February 13, 2013 and a 19% premium to Heinz’s all-time high share price. The transaction was financed through a combination of cash provided by Berkshire Hathaway and affiliates of 3G Capital, rollover of existing debt, as well as debt financing. The deal was among the largest transactions ever in the food industry and the largest leveraged buyout since 2007. Moelis & Company acted as financial advisor to the Transaction Committee of the Board of Directors of Heinz. Moelis provided its own independent view in addition to the company’s two existing advisors – one that had a longstanding relationship with the Heinz management team and the other that was an existing lender. The deal demonstrates our ability to successfully execute large, public M&A transactions and highlights our mandate to provide unbiased, conflict-free advice to public company boards. The transaction successfully closed in June 2013.
