Sysco to Acquire US Foods for $3.5 Billion

Bloomberg – by Matt Townsend

Sysco Corp. (SYY) agreed to acquire closely held US Foods for $3.5 billion, adding brands from Cattleman’s meat to Devonshire desserts, in the largest food-distribution deal in eight years in North America. The shares jumped the most since at least 1980.

Sysco will pay $3 billion in common stock and $500 million in cash for US Foods to owners including KKR & Co. and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice LLC, according to a statement today. Bonds of US Foods soared to a record.  

The deal bolsters Sysco’s position as North America’s largest distributor of food to restaurants, expanding its geographical reach and creating supply chain cost savings. The combined business, with about $65 billion in annual sales, will be led by Sysco Chief Executive Officer Bill DeLaney.

“There will be cost savings opportunities for Sysco and they didn’t overpay, which the market is reacting favorably to,” Jack Russo, an analyst an Edward Jones & Co., said in an interview. The companies cater to the same customers, so this deal is about becoming as efficient as possible by “becoming one large big company.”

Shares of Houston-based Sysco surged 13 percent to $38.54 at 11:57 a.m. in New York, after advancing as much as 26 percent for the biggest intraday jump since at least July 1980. The stock had risen 8.4 percent this year through Dec. 6, compared with a 27 percent gain for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

Russo has a hold rating on the shares.

Deal Multiple

With the assumption of US Foods’ debt, the deal is valued at about $8.2 billion. That represents a multiple of 9.9 times US Foods’ adjusted earnings before interest, depreciation and amortization, according to the statement.

In seven purchases of food distribution and food-services assets of more than $1 billion in the past decade, buyers paid a median of 10 times unadjusted Ebitda, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Sysco didn’t say how it adjusted US Foods’ Ebitda.

KKR and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice agreed to buy US Foods for $7.1 billion from Royal Ahold NV in 2007.

The acquisition is expected to be completed late next year, Sysco executives said on a conference call today. Sysco currently has about 18 percent of the U.S. market and the new combined business would have about a quarter of it, the executives said.

The equity holders of Rosemont, Illinois-based US Foods will own about 13 percent of Sysco. A representative of each of US Foods’ majority shareholders, affiliates of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and KKR will join the board upon closing.

Cost Savings

Today’s transaction is the largest in the food wholesale and distribution industry since Albertsons LLC was sold to several buyers for $16.1 billion in 2006, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Sysco was the most acquisitive company in the industry in the past 10 years in North America, with 27 deals, the data also show.

Sysco’s customers include Wendy’s Co. (WEN) The deal is expected to generate cost savings of at least $600 million after three to four years, coming from supply chain efficiencies and merchandising.

US Foods’ $1.3 billion of 8.5 percent notes due June 2019 climbed 3.125 cents to 109.50 cents on the dollar to yield 6.436 percent as of 11:48 a.m. in New York, according to data from Trace, the bond-price reporting system of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

The securities earlier traded as high as 110.25 cents, Trace prices show.

Goldman, Sachs & Co. is serving as financial adviser to Sysco and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Arnall, Golden & Gregory LLP are serving as its legal representation. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP are serving as US Foods’ legal advisers.

To contact the reporter on this story: Matt Townsend in New York atmtownsend9@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Robin Ajello at rajello@bloomberg.net

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-09/sysco-to-buy-us-foods-for-3-5-billion-to-expand-food-services.html