Word: conoco
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Thus ended five weeks of financial maneuvering, courtroom battles, noisy public name-calling and political infighting, all aimed at acquiring the nation's ninth largest oil company. Du Pont had won Conoco by outbidding Seagram, the world's biggest liquor distiller, and Mobil Oil, the second largest American petroleum firm. "There's never been a merger contest like it," said Joseph Perella, a member of the team of investment bankers from First Boston that advised Du Pont on its winning strategy...
...Pont won its hotly contested prize through skill and guile. After making the initial takeover bid on Conoco, Du Pont stood by quietly as Mobil and Seagram aggressively justified their positions in newspaper ads and Conoco filed harassing lawsuits against both. At the same time, Du Pont was executing a clever financial play that enabled it to acquire a majority of Conoco shares at a lower price than Mobil was offering...
...Font's secret weapon was a device called the "double-barreled two-step." The plan allowed Conoco shareholders to choose whether to receive $98 per share in cash or tax-free units of 1.7 Du Pont shares worth about $80. The offer was attractive to many investors because it had no strings attached and provided them two forms of payment...
Mobil, on the other hand, set limits on its offer. Although it raised its bid from $90 to $105, and finally last week to $115 and $120 per share, Mobil's proposal was conditional on its obtaining 51% of Conoco's shares. Mobil also had a severe handicap because it was never able to shake the fear that the Justice Department would block the merger of two oil companies on antitrust grounds...
During the last two weeks of bargaining for Conoco, Seagram was no longer a serious contender. In spite of its nearly $3 billion bankroll, the Canadian distiller could not stay in the bidding with even better-heeled rivals. Seagram's final proposal was $92 per share...