What: Shares of transportation company TAL International Group, Inc. (NYSE: TAL) jumped as much as 20% today after it announced a merger with private company Triton Container International.
So what: Under the terms of the merger, the new company will be called Triton International Limited and current Triton owners will own 55% of the company and TAL shareholders will own 45%. TAL shareholders will also get a $0.54 per-share special dividend when the transaction closes.
Now what: There's no clear reason that the combined business would be worth significantly more than they are separately, but investors are implying that there will be some sort of pricing power and/or synergies in a merger. That could be the case, but it'll take some time to play out.
After today's news, I really don't see a reason to change your investment thesis on TAL International or sell shares. If you were bullish before today, a bigger company should make for an even better upside scenario, even if it takes a year or two for that case to fully play out on the market.
