Dec 10 2010
Air Products (NYSE: APD) today announced it has increased its fully financed cash tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG) to $70 per share.
This is Air Products' best and final offer for Airgas and will not be further increased. It provides a 61% premium to Airgas' closing price on February 4, 2010, the day before Air Products first announced an offer to acquire Airgas.
John E. McGlade, Air Products chairman, president and chief executive officer, said, "It is time to bring this matter to a conclusion, and we are today making our best and final offer for Airgas. The Air Products Board has determined that it is not in the best interests of Air Products shareholders to pursue this transaction indefinitely, and Airgas shareholders should be aware that Air Products will not pursue this offer to another Airgas shareholder meeting, whenever it may be held."
McGlade continued, "We are more than a year into this process, and the majority of the Airgas Board has made it clear that they do not intend to negotiate a deal. Accordingly, if Airgas shareholders want this compelling offer, they must make their voices heard now. The reality is that there are no other bidders for Airgas and Airgas has no alternative value creation plan other than the status quo. At $70 per share, this offer would deliver an extraordinary premium to Airgas shareholders and create significant value for Air Products shareholders. Airgas shareholders deserve the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they want to accept $70 per share in cash."
Air Products first approached Airgas with a proposed transaction in October 2009. Air Products has since repeatedly attempted to negotiate a transaction, increased its offer price several times, cleared the regulatory hurdles to completing a transaction in 2010, and obtained the support of Airgas' shareholders at its 2010 annual meeting. Airgas has responded with unrealistic price expectations and repeated delaying tactics, all in support of a "just say no" strategy.
In connection with increasing the offer to Air Products' best and final price, and to allow the Delaware Chancery Court time to rule in the ongoing litigation, the expiration of the tender offer has been extended to January 14, 2011. Air Products reserves the right to further amend the expiration date, including by accelerating it (which may, in certain circumstances, have the effect of causing a termination of the offer), based on developments in the Delaware litigation or otherwise, in each case as permitted by applicable law.
The revised offer and withdrawal rights will expire at 12:00 midnight New York City time on January 14, 2011. Except for the price increase, all other terms and conditions of the offer remain unchanged. The tender offer and withdrawal rights were previously scheduled to expire on December 17, 2010. As of the close of business on December 8, 2010, approximately 2,175,398 shares of Airgas common stock had been validly tendered into and not withdrawn from the offer.