What happened
The stock market was having a decent day on Thursday with most major averages showing modest gains, but asset management firm Waddell & Reed (WDR) was another story altogether. As of 10:30 a.m. EST, the company's stock had spiked higher by 49% on the day.
Now what
After 83 years in business and more than 30 as a publicly traded company, Waddell & Reed is being acquired. Australian investment banking and financial services company Macquarie Group (MQBK.Y -0.44%) announced that it has agreed to buy Waddell & Reed for $1.7 billion in an all-cash deal. This translates to an offer price of $25 per share, a premium of about 48% to the stock's closing price on Wednesday.
Image source: Getty Images.
Once the transaction is finalized, Macquarie Asset Management plans to sell Waddell & Reed's independent brokerage business to LPL Financial Holdings (LPL 0.26%) for $300 million.
Macquarie has been actively trying to expand its operations in recent years, and this deal will give it a much larger presence in the U.S. market.
So what
The deal is expected to close in mid-2021. Interestingly, after today's increase, Waddell & Reed is trading for slightly more than the $25 per share acquisition price. This indicates that investors are quite confident the deal will be able to close with no major issues, but it also implies virtually no upside potential from this point unless the terms of the deal are changed or another acquirer swoops in and offers even more.
