By Emma-Victoria Farr and Hakan Ersen
FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Shares in Software AG jumped almost 50% on Monday following a takeover offer from private equity firm Silver Lake late last week that values the German business software developer at 2.2 billion euros ($2.42 billion).
Software AG Chief Executive Sanjay Brahmawar said on Monday that the company expected an operating profit margin in the upper range of 25%-30% over the medium term, pushing back expectations for a target originally set for 2023.
For the current year, Brahmawar now sees a margin of 16% to 18%. He said first-quarter earnings, due to be released on Thursday, are in line with market expectations and full-year targets remain unchanged.
Software AG’s shares were trading at 29.9 euros on Monday, close to Silver Lake’s offer price of 30 euros per share made late on Friday after markets closed.
If the takeover offer is successful, the aim would be to delist the company following the transaction, Brahmawar said.
Silver Lake’s offer is fully funded with equity and one billion euros in debt financing provided by JP Morgan, Brahmawar added.
The offer is subject to a minimum acceptance threshold of 50% of all outstanding Software AG shares plus one share and the transaction, including regulatory approval, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year.
Silver Lake originally announced an investment of 344 million euros in the software company in December 2021 via a convertible bond, which upon conversion would represent nearly 9% of issued Software AG shares.
($1 = 0.9104 euros)
(Reporting by Emma-Victoria Farr and Hakan Ersen, Writing by Friederike Heine, Editing by Kirsti Knolle, Kirsten Donovan)
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