The new company will have state-of-the-art operations and will continue to invest in its workforce and employee safety
Cargill, Continental Grain Company and Sanderson Farms announced that they have reached a definitive agreement for a joint venture between Cargill and Continental Grain to acquire Sanderson Farms for $203 per share in cash, representing a total equity value for Sanderson Farms of $4.53 billion. The purchase price represents a 30.3 per cent premium to Sanderson Farms’ unaffected share price of $155.74 on June 18, 2021, the last full trading day before media speculation about the potential sale of Sanderson Farms; a 22.8 per cent premium to the Sanderson Farms 30-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP) as of June 18, 2021, and a 15.2 per cent premium to the all-time high share price as of June 18, 2021. fUpon completion of the transaction, Cargill and Continental Grain will combine Sanderson Farms with Wayne Farms, a subsidiary of Continental Grain, to form a new, privately held poultry business.
The combination of Sanderson Farms and Wayne Farms will create a best-in-class US poultry company with a high-quality asset base, complementary operating cultures, and an industry-leading management team and workforce. The new company will be well-positioned to enhance its service to customers across retail and foodservice and drive organic growth in an industry fueled by affordability and key consumer trends around the health, sustainability, and versatility of chicken.
The new company will have state-of-the-art operations and will continue to invest in its workforce and employee safety. Operations will include poultry processing plants and prepared foods plants across Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Texas.
Cargill expects to support the new joint venture with its longstanding relationships with retail and foodservice customers. Wayne Farms, part of Continental Grain’s food, agriculture and commodities investment portfolio since 1965, has roots in the poultry industry that go back more than a century.
