SUSE Going Private (Again)
The company behind SUSE Linux Enterprise, Rancher, and NeuVector recently announced that Marcel LUX III SARL (Marcel), its majority shareholder, intends to delist it from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange by way of a merger.
Marcel holds 79% of the SUSE shares, and EQT Private Equity has announced that it will launch a voluntary public purchase offer to the remaining shareholders prior to the delisting. The offering price for those shares is EUR 16.00.
Both the SUSE Management and Supervisory boards support this move as it will allow the company to shift its focus to its operation priorities and long-term strategies.
SUSE's CEO, Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen, said of the move, “I believe in the strategic opportunity of taking the company private – it gives us the right setting to grow the business and deliver on our strategy with the new leadership team in place.” He continued, “EQT Private Equity’s and SUSE’s partnership in a private setting has been fruitful before and we are excited about the long-term potential of the company and our continued collaboration”.
The timetable for the transaction looks like this: The offer document will soon be published by Marcel, which will be followed by a four-week acceptance period. The settlement of the offer is to occur in the first half of October 2023. During Q4 of 2023, a general meeting will be held to resolve the merger with an unlisted Luxembourg entity. Once all of this is finished, SUSE will then be delisted.
You can read a detailed description of the entire process from the official SUSE blog.
