Reddy Ice Holdings Inc.
(NYSE:FRZ) may face problems with its proposed buyout after concerns
surfaced that GSO Capital Partners may not be able to obtain the
financial needed from Morgan Stanley to complete the $1.1 billion
transaction. Perhaps equally troubling is the low $21 million breakup
fee that would give GSO Capital little reason to try and salvage the
deal if things went bad. Shareholders also remain divided on whether
the company would best be sold or kept under current management.
The news only adds to other bad news that has already clouded the
deal. The management of Reddy Ice was hit by shareholder protests
against the price spearheaded by players like Noonday Asset Management
and Shamrock Activist Value Fund. Meanwhile, GSO announced that it
would need more time to secure the financing necessary to complete the
transaction given the current market conditions. And problems only
compounded as the company missed its July earnings targets as the CEO
and COO announced that he was leaving the company.
Unfortunately, there is little left to support a $25 share price
short of a merger actually being consummated. It will be interesting to
see whether or not GSO and the company can complete the transaction,
otherwise shareholders will be left with an underperforming company
that can’t sell itself and lost its CEO and COO. There appears to be
only problems left with this stock now…
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