What Is Assented Stock?
Assented stock consists of securities owned by a shareholder who has agreed to a takeover bid for a company. Assented stock, aka assented shares, may be traded in a different market tha🐭n non-assented stock, which represents shares of shareholders who are holding out on the takeover.
Shareholders approach the prospect of a takeover with one primary goal: getting the best deal for the shares that they own. The acquiring company typically offers to purchase a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:controlling interest of stock 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:at a premium to its current trading price. Shareholders who agree to the terms of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:takeover bid are said to hold assented shares, and typically receive 𝓡⛎a higher price than shareholders who do not agree to the takeover bid. Shareholders who do not agree are said to hold non-assented stock.
Key Takeaways
- Assented stock refers to shares owned by a stockholder who has agreed to a takeover of the company represented by the stock.
- Shares owned by stockholders who don't agree to the takeover and are rejecting the would-be acquirer's offer.
- During the takeover negotiations, different prices may be quoted for assented and non-assented stock; the assented stock's price is usually higher.
- Assented stock may be placed in a third-party account, or they may be available for trading in an assented share trading facility—separate from the open market where non-assented shares trade.
Understanding Assented Stock
Acquiring companies may take a two-tier approach when making a takeover bid. A two-tier bid, also known as a two-tiered tender offer, occurs when the acquiring company is willing to pay a premium above and beyond the target's current 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:market price in🐻 order to convince its shareholders to sell their shares.
The acquirer will offer a higher price to enough shareholders to rack up the number of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:voting rights required to obtain a controlling interest in the company. The shareholders who accept this highest price hold assented shares. (It's called a "two-tiered offer" because the acquirer gets control over the target in the initial tier, but then makes another, lower offer for more shares thr👍ough the second tier that is completed at a future date.)
Important
Usually, the price offered for assented stock is greater than for non-assented stock, reflecting the acquirer's desire to gain control.
Shareholders who own non-assented shares—who aren't agreeing to the acquisition—may be relying on company management employing poison pill defenses, such as a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:back-end plan, ꩲto dilute the voting power that assented stock will provide to the acquiring company.
Special Considerations
Often, assented st🌟ock becomes untradeable: It is🌺 deposited in a separate account, held by a third party, until the acquisition goes through.
However, sometimes assented shares may be traded on a separate market from non-assented shares, with the acquiring company setting up the market so that shareholders who have accepted the takeover share price can continue trading their shares. This separate market, referred to as an assented share trading facility, is established so that the value of the assented shares is set at the price that the acquiring company has indicated that it will pay, which may be higher than the amount non-assented shares would fetch on the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:open market.
If, in the interim and before the takeover happens, the assented shareholder sells their stock, the buyer committs automatically to accepting the acquirer's bid.