The so-called market-out exception precludes appraisal where the target’s stock trades in a highly liquid market.  In other words, appraisal is normally available to shareholders except, as the rationale goes, where the M&A target’s stock trades in such a liquid, highly efficient market that its stock price naturally reflects its fair value, and any M&A transaction offering a premium to that market price thus provides shareholders even greater, above-market value that would render an appraisal challenge superfluous.  Or, at least, so the theory goes.

Delaware’s appraisal statute incorporates the market-out exception, precluding appraisal rights where the target’s stock is either “(i) listed on a national securities exchange or (ii) held of record by more than 2,000 holders.”  DGCL § 262(b)(1).  But the Delaware statute doesn’t stop there, and this is where it parts ways with many other states:  it then carves out from the market-out exception circumstances where the target’s stock is being acquired for cash, in whole or in part.  As a result of this exception to the exception, Delaware’s market-out exception has far fewer teeth than do those of jurisdictions that adopted the market-out exception outright, without exception.  Thus, based on the theory underlying the statute, and notwithstanding the purported liquidity and efficiency of the stock markets in which most public M&A targets are traded, Delaware allows stockholders of its corporations to assert appraisal rights rather than assume that the market price inevitably captures the maximum value of their shares.

Many other states, such as Arizona, have adopted the market-out exception as is, without any carve-outs.  Indeed, back in February, when it was announced that the Apollo Education Group (“APOL”), which is incorporated in Arizona, had agreed to be acquired by a consortium of investors including The Vistria Group, affiliates of Apollo Global Management, and the Najafi Companies for $9.50 per share in cash, many investors immediately took to social media and other informal outlets to consider mounting an appraisal case against APOL.  However, such plans were just as immediately halted as they ran into Arizona’s market-out exception. AZ ST. § 10-1302(D).  Unlike Delaware, Arizona does not allow any exceptions to the exception, and a target such as APOL that trades on a sufficiently large stock exchange is shielded from appraisal.

Massachusetts, in contrast, has not adopted the market-out exception, but appraisal rights in that state are limited to transactions presenting potential conflicts of interest.  Thus, when EMC agreed to be acquired by Dell in late 2015, stockholders who believed they faced an uphill battle of demonstrating conflict of interest were likewise stymied from pursuing appraisal.  MA GL § 13.02(a)(1)(B).

The bottom line: Investors cannot presume that all jurisdictions providing for appraisal rights afford stockholders similar rights in their statutes.  Before investing the time and diligence in evaluating a target’s acquisition price, shareholders must fully inform themselves of the applicable state statute as well as its exceptions (and any carve-outs to those exceptions).