In a 40 billion yen U.S.-style takeover bid, NCR Corp. will buy the publicly held shares of NCR Japan Ltd. at a 30 percent premium, the Ohio-based data warehouse and computer support system company announced Friday morning.
It will be the first large-scale takeover bid that may result in a delisting of shares, according to officials at the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The TSE suspended trading in NCR Japan stock until 4 p.m. to give investors more time to look into the U.S. firm's offer.
NCR Corp., which currently holds a 70 percent share of the Japanese subsidiary, will purchase the outstanding 30 percent stake in NCR Japan, which is traded on the TSE and Osaka Securities Exchange, starting Monday.
If it succeeds in purchasing the remaining 30 percent, NCR Japan's stock will be delisted from the two exchanges in Japan, the firm said. The 66 million NCR Japan shares will be purchased for 607 yen per share, 30 percent more than the weighted average of the TSE closing prices over the past three months.
The total cost of the transaction is estimated at $306 million, or roughly 40 billion yen at the current exchange rate of 131 yen to the dollar, the firm said.
NCR Corp. said NCR Japan is the only subsidiary in which the parent company does not hold a 100 percent stake. NCR Japan is also the biggest subsidiary, with 1997 annual revenues of 111.1 billion yen.