According this report from Cornerstone Research, the number of mergers where appraisal was demanded has returned to levels seen in 2012-2015, demonstrating a further decline from the spike in appraisal in 2016. We covered the start of the reversion in 2017 previously. To begin, a caution. This is a raw numerical comparison of the
Cornerstone Research has published a review of 2017 M&A related litigation – and one of the findings is that new appraisal filings in 2017 fell from 2016 highs back to the number generated in 2015.
The Harvard Business Law Review has published “The High Cost of Fewer Appraisal Claims in 2017: Premia Down, Agency Costs Up” an article we’ve blogged about previously, including commentary from interested authors. The HBLR piece, by Matthew Schoenfeld, argues that weakened shareholder litigation reduces the acquisition premium in mergers. This is another
Lexology’s Federal Securities Law Blog has this analysis of the recent article we posted about, the High Cost of Fewer Appraisal Claims. The author, from Porter Wright in Ohio, notes that the recent data on appraisal claims dispel certain arguments made by the anti-appraisal crowd. In particular, he writes, “Prior to the
The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation posted yesterday on Merger Negotiations in the Shadow Judicial Appraisal. In this post, Professors Brian Broughman, Audra Boone, and Antonio Macias address the explosion in merger litigation over the past decade and present their empirical study testing the competing explanations of the ex-ante
This piece by Law360, “Appraisal Actions May Be The Next Frontier For PE Shops,” discusses a range of reactions to the closely watched rulings in the DFC Global and Dell appraisal cases currently on appeal before the Delaware Supreme Court. Some commentators see the appraisal strategy becoming more attractive to private equity funds
This Bloomberg BNA piece, “Dealmakers Eye Safeguards Amid Rising Valuation Challenges,” observes the spike in appraisal activity and queries whether M&A buyers are taking added steps to address appraisal risk.
This article by Stout Risius Ross surveys all appraisal rulings since 2010 and identifies certain key metrics in those decisions, including the court’s valuation methodology, whether an auction or go-shop was included in the M&A transaction, and the mean and median premium over merger price resulting from those awards.
For an interesting overview of the appraisal process and a concise summary of the merits and risks associated with litigating appraisal rights, we recommend reviewing the article “Opportunistic Investing – the Case for Appraisal Rights” from Neuberger Berman’s Hedge Funds Solutions Group. In describing appraisal as a “niche, legally intensive strategy” with the
As we’ve previously covered in this blog, the Delaware Legislature has proposed two changes to its appraisal statute in response to an increasing number of appraisal filings. The first proposal, the De Minimis Exception, would require that anyone bringing an appraisal action have, at minimum, a $1 million stake in the company or 1 percent