West Corporation, a global provider of communication and network infrastructure services announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with affiliates of certain funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC (the “Apollo funds”) (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, “Apollo”), a leading global alternative investment manager, pursuant to which the Apollo funds will acquire all of the outstanding shares of West common stock for $23.50 per share in cash.
The purchase price represents a premium of approximately 17.5 percent over West’s closing stock price on November 1, 2016, the last trading day prior to the announcement that the Company initiated a process to explore strategic and financial alternatives. The proposed transaction has an enterprise value of approximately $5.1 billion, including net debt.
The West Board of Directors has unanimously approved the agreement with the Apollo funds and recommends that West stockholders vote in favor of the proposed transaction. Certain West stockholders, including Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P., Quadrangle Group LLC, Gary L. West and Mary E. West, who in the aggregate beneficially own approximately 45 percent of West’s outstanding common stock, have committed to vote in favor of the proposed transaction, subject to certain customary conditions, at a special meeting of West stockholders.
“We are pleased to reach this agreement with the Apollo funds, which follows a comprehensive review of alternatives initiated by West’s Board of Directors in November,” said Tom Barker, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of West. “We believe this transaction achieves our goal of maximizing value for West stockholders and positions the Company for continued success. Apollo values our team, assets and vision for the future. We look forward to working closely with Apollo as we continue to grow and strengthen our business.”
Mr. Barker continued, “We began this process with the acknowledgement of the disparate trends in our various businesses. Over the past six months, we have evaluated a wide range of strategic and financial alternatives, including the sale or separation of assets; various balance sheet options; as well as continuing to operate under our current structure. We believe strongly that the transaction we are announcing today is the best outcome for our stockholders, employees and customers.”
“We are extremely excited for our funds to acquire West,” said Matthew Nord, Senior Partner at Apollo. “West is the leader in global conferencing and collaboration services, and is well-positioned to capitalize on customer migration to cloud-based solutions and continue to grow its Safety Services, Interactive Services and Health Advocate Solutions businesses. We look forward to working with West’s talented and dedicated team to continue the strong heritage of providing the highest-level of service and care to its customers.”
Transaction Details
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of the year. The transaction is subject to receipt of certain regulatory approvals, including expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, approval by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and certain state and foreign regulatory approvals, as well as West stockholder approval and other customary closing conditions. Following the transaction West will become a privately held company and shares of West’s common stock will no longer be listed on any public market.
As a condition to the transaction, West has agreed to suspend payment of its quarterly dividend, effective immediately.
Advisors and Financing Providers
Centerview Partners LLC is acting as exclusive financial advisor to West and Sidley Austin LLP is acting as its legal advisor.
LionTree is acting as lead financial advisor to Apollo. Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley are also acting as financial advisors to Apollo. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is acting as corporate counsel to Apollo and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is acting as financing counsel to Apollo.
Transaction financing is being provided by Credit Suisse, RBC Capital Markets, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec through one of its subsidiaries and PSP Investments Credit USA LLC have also committed to provide a portion of the financing.