US-based Quanex to buy UK’s Tyman in £788m deal

Bengaluru — US-based Quanex Building Products will buy doors and windows supplier Tyman in a cash and share deal, valuing the British firm at about £788m, the companies said on Monday.

Tyman shares were trading 30% higher in early trade.

The acquisition comes at a time US housebuilders are cutting prices and offering incentives to boost sales as high mortgage rates drive away many first-time buyers.

Tyman joins a growing list of companies leaving the London stock market, after Britain’s biggest chip company ARM floated in New York last year, and building supplies firm CRH and plumbing equipment company Ferguson shifted their main listings to the US.

Under the terms of the deal, Tyman shareholders will get 240p in cash and 0.05715 of a new Quanex share for each Tyman share held.

The bid is equivalent to 400p per share and represents a premium of about 35.1% to London-listed Tyman's Friday closing price of 296p.

“Given the reasonable valuation and industrial, strategic, and financial logic of the combination, we would expect the deal to complete later this year,” Investec analysts said.

Quanex and Tyman directors intend to unanimously recommend their shareholders to vote in favour of the proposed deal.

Tyman's largest shareholder, Teleios Capital Partners with a 16.4% stake, supported the Quanex proposal.

Quanex directors said they believed the acquisition would help create a more diversified supplier in the building products sector.

Quanex expects significant impact of run-rate cost synergies of $30m to be fully achieved by the second year after completion of the transaction.

The Texas-based company also said it would get Tyman delisted from the London Stock Exchange and the combined group will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Quanex said in a joint statement.

Reuters