Smartsheet Shareholders to Receive $56.50 Per
Share in Cash
Purchase Price Represents a 41% Premium to the
90-Day VWAP of the Unaffected Share Price
Smartsheet (NYSE:SMAR) (“Smartsheet” or the “Company”), the
enterprise platform for modern work management, today announced
that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by
funds managed by Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners (the
“Buyers”) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $8.4
billion.
Under the terms of the agreement, the Buyers would acquire all
the outstanding shares held by Smartsheet shareholders for $56.50
per share in cash upon the closing of the proposed transaction.
This price represents a premium of approximately 41% to the volume
weighted average closing price of Smartsheet stock for the 90
trading days ending on July 17, 2024, the last full trading day
prior to media reports regarding a possible sale transaction
involving the Company, and a 16% premium to the highest closing
stock price over the last 12 months ending July 17, 2024.
“For more than a decade, we have built a thriving community of
employees, partners, and customers, each focused on building and
benefiting from Smartsheet’s industry-leading work management
platform. Our next phase of growth and customer success is
underway, and we look forward to partnering with Blackstone and
Vista Equity Partners to accelerate our vision of modernizing work
management for enterprises, globally,” said Mark Mader, CEO of
Smartsheet. “This transaction is a testament to our employees’
outstanding work in serving customers and partners, and building an
enterprise-grade, market-leading platform. As we look to the
future, we are confident that Blackstone and Vista’s expertise and
resources will help us ensure Smartsheet remains a great place to
work where our employees thrive, while driving innovation and
delivering even greater value for customers and stakeholders.”
Martin Brand, Head of North America Private Equity and Global
Co-Head of Technology Investing at Blackstone, and Sachin Bavishi,
a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, said, “Across
increasingly distributed, cross-functional and global workforces,
Smartsheet’s innovative and market-leading solutions are
mission-critical in helping teams collaborate at scale to achieve
superior results. We are excited to partner with Smartsheet’s
management team to drive long-term growth by leveraging our and our
partner Vista’s combined scale and resources to accelerate
investments in the next generation of work management solutions.”
Blackstone will invest in Smartsheet through its flagship private
equity vehicle and its private equity strategy for individual
investors.
“Modern enterprises rely on Smartsheet’s simple and scalable
solutions to manage a diverse range of business-critical processes
every single day because they enable seamless collaboration,
enhanced productivity and faster and more informed
decision-making,” said Monti Saroya, Co-Head of Vista’s Flagship
Fund and Senior Managing Director, and John Stalder, Managing
Director at Vista. “We look forward to partnering closely with
Blackstone and Smartsheet to support its ambitious goal of making
its platform accessible for every organization, team and worker
relying on collaborative work to achieve successful outcomes.”
Vista is a leading global investment firm focused exclusively on
enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses.
Additional Transaction Terms
The merger agreement for the transaction includes a 45-day
“go-shop” period that expires on November 8, 2024. During this
period, Smartsheet and its advisors will be permitted to actively
solicit alternative acquisition proposals from certain third
parties, and potentially enter into negotiations with other parties
that make alternative acquisition proposals. The Smartsheet Board
of Directors will have the right to terminate the merger agreement
to accept a superior proposal, subject to the terms and conditions
of the merger agreement. There can be no assurance that this
“go-shop” process will or will not result in a superior proposal,
and Smartsheet does not intend to disclose related developments
unless and until it determines that such disclosure is appropriate
or otherwise required.
The transaction is currently expected to close in the fourth
quarter of Smartsheet’s fiscal year ending January 31, 2025,
subject to the approval of Smartsheet’s shareholders, the
satisfaction of required regulatory clearances and other customary
closing conditions. The Smartsheet Board of Directors unanimously
approved the merger agreement and recommends Smartsheet
shareholders vote their shares in support of the transaction at a
special meeting of shareholders to vote on the transaction.
Upon completion of the transaction, Smartsheet’s Class A common
stock will no longer be listed on any public market and Smartsheet
will become a privately held company. The Company will continue to
operate under the Smartsheet name and brand.
Advisors
Qatalyst Partners is acting as exclusive financial advisor to
Smartsheet. Fenwick & West LLP is acting as legal counsel to
Smartsheet.
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are
acting as financial advisors and Kirkland & Ellis LLP and
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP are acting as legal counsel to
Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners.
About Smartsheet
Smartsheet is the modern enterprise work management platform
trusted by millions of people at companies across the globe,
including approximately 85% of the 2024 Fortune 500 companies. As a
pioneer and market leader in this category, Smartsheet delivers
powerful solutions fueling performance and driving the next wave of
innovation. Visit www.smartsheet.com to learn more.
About Blackstone
Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We
seek to deliver compelling returns for institutional and individual
investors by strengthening the companies in which we invest. Our
more than US$1 trillion in assets under management include global
investment strategies focused on real estate, private equity,
infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, credit, real assets,
secondaries and hedge funds. Further information is available at
www.blackstone.com. Follow @blackstone on LinkedIn, X (Twitter),
and Instagram.
About Vista Equity Partners
Vista is a leading global investment firm with more than $100
billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2024. The firm
exclusively invests in enterprise software, data and
technology-enabled organizations across private equity, permanent
capital, credit and public equity strategies, bringing an approach
that prioritizes creating enduring market value for the benefit of
its global ecosystem of investors, companies, customers and
employees. Vista’s investments are anchored by a sizable long-term
capital base, experience in structuring technology-oriented
transactions and proven, flexible management techniques that drive
sustainable growth. Vista believes the transformative power of
technology is the key to an even better future – a healthier
planet, a smarter economy, a diverse and inclusive community and a
broader path to prosperity. Further information is available at
vistaequitypartners.com. Follow Vista on LinkedIn, @Vista Equity
Partners, and on X, @Vista_Equity.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
This communication may contain forward-looking statements made
pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including, among other
things, statements regarding the ability of the parties to complete
the proposed transaction and the expected timing of completion of
the proposed transaction; the prospective performance and outlook
of Smartsheet’s business, performance and opportunities;
Smartsheet’s ability to achieve future financial performance
results; as well as any assumptions underlying any of the
foregoing. When used in this communication, or any other documents,
words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,”
“anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goal,” “objective,”
“plan,” “project,” “seek,” “strategy,” “target,” and similar
expressions should be considered forward-looking statements made in
good faith by Smartsheet, as applicable, and are intended to
qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions
of management at the time that these statements were prepared and
are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that could
cause Smartsheet’s actual results to differ materially from those
expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results,
performance or achievements to be materially different from any
future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by
the forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not
limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: (i) the ability to
obtain the requisite approval from shareholders of Smartsheet; (ii)
the risk that the proposed transaction may not be completed in a
timely manner or at all; (iii) the possibility that competing
offers or acquisition proposals for Smartsheet will be made; (iv)
the possibility that any or all of the various conditions to the
consummation of the proposed transaction may not be satisfied or
waived, including the failure to receive any required regulatory
approvals from any applicable governmental entities; (v) the
occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could
give rise to the termination of the merger agreement, including in
circumstances that would require Smartsheet to pay a termination
fee or other expenses; (vi) the effect of the pendency of the
proposed transaction on Smartsheet’s ability to retain and hire key
personnel, its ability to maintain relationships with its
customers, suppliers and others with whom it does business, its
business generally or its stock price; (vii) risks related to
diverting management’s attention from Smartsheet’s ongoing business
operations or the loss of one or more members of the management
team; (viii) the risk that shareholder litigation in connection
with the proposed transaction may result in significant costs of
defense, indemnification and liability; (ix) Smartsheet’s ability
to achieve future growth and sustain its growth rate; (x)
Smartsheet’s ability to attract and retain talent; (xi)
Smartsheet’s ability to attract and retain customers (including
government customers) and increase sales to its customers; (xii)
Smartsheet’s ability to develop and release new products and
services and to scale its platform; (xiii) Smartsheet’s ability to
increase adoption of its platform through its self-service model;
(xiv) Smartsheet’s ability to maintain and grow its relationships
with channel and strategic partners; (xv) the highly competitive
and rapidly evolving market in which it participates; (xvi)
Smartsheet’s ability to identify targets for, execute on, or
realize the benefits of, potential acquisitions; and (xvii) its
international expansion strategies. Further information on risks
that could affect Smartsheet’s results is included in its filings
with the SEC, including its most recent Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q and its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
January 31, 2024, and any current reports on Form 8-K that it may
file from time to time. Should any of these risks or uncertainties
materialize, actual results could differ materially from
expectations. Except as required by applicable law, Smartsheet
assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update
or supplement any such forward-looking statements to reflect actual
results, new information, future events, changes in its
expectations or other circumstances that exist after the date of
this communication.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
This communication may be deemed to be solicitation material in
respect of the proposed transaction involving Smartsheet Inc.
(“Smartsheet”) and affiliates of the Buyers. In connection with the
proposed transaction, Smartsheet intends to file with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and furnish to
shareholders a proxy statement seeking Smartsheet shareholder
approval of the proposed transaction. This communication is not a
substitute for the proxy statement or any other document that
Smartsheet may file with the SEC or send to its shareholders in
connection with the proposed transaction. INVESTORS AND
SHAREHOLDERS OF SMARTSHEET ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT
AND OTHER RELEVANT MATERIALS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BEFORE
MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION
BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT SMARTSHEET
AND THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. The materials to be filed by
Smartsheet will be made available to Smartsheet’s investors and
shareholders at no expense to them and copies may be obtained free
of charge on Smartsheet’s website at
https://investors.smartsheet.com/. In addition, all of those
materials will be available at no charge on the SEC’s website at
www.sec.gov. Any vote in respect of resolutions to be proposed at
Smartsheet’s shareholder meeting to approve the proposed
transaction or other responses in relation to the proposed
transaction should be made only on the basis of the information
contained in the proxy statement.
Participants in Solicitation
Smartsheet and its directors, executive officers, other members
of its management and employees may be deemed to be participants in
the solicitation of proxies of Smartsheet shareholders in
connection with the proposed transaction under SEC rules.
Information about the Company’s directors and executive officers is
set forth under the captions “Proposal 1–Election of Directors,”
“Non-Employee Director Compensation,” “Executive Officers,”
“Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners, Directors, and
Management,” “Executive Compensation,” “Pay Versus Performance” and
“Equity Compensation Plan Information,” sections of the definitive
proxy statement for the Company’s 2024 annual meeting of
shareholders, filed with the SEC on May 1, 2024, and in the
Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March
14, 2024 and March 22, 2024. Additional information regarding
ownership of Smartsheet’s securities by its directors and executive
officers is included in such persons’ SEC filings on Forms 3 and 4.
These documents may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s web
site at www.sec.gov and on Smartsheet’s website at
https://investors.smartsheet.com/.
Information concerning the interests of Smartsheet’s
participants in the solicitation, which may, in some cases, be
different than those of the Smartsheet’s shareholders generally,
will be set forth in the proxy statement relating to the proposed
transaction when it becomes available.
No Offer or Solicitation
This communication is for information purposes only and is not
intended to and does not constitute, or form part of, an offer,
invitation or the solicitation of an offer or invitation to
purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, sell or otherwise
dispose of any securities, or the solicitation of any vote or
approval in any jurisdiction, pursuant to the proposed transaction
or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of
securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law.
No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a
prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240924199901/en/
For Smartsheet
Investor Relations Contact Aaron Turner
investorrelations@smartsheet.com
Media Contact Jennifer Henderson pr@smartsheet.com
OR
FGS Global Smartsheet@FGSGlobal.com
For Blackstone
Matt Anderson (518) 248-7310 Matthew.Anderson@blackstone.com
Mariel Seidman-Gati (646) 482-3712
Mariel.SeidmanGati@blackstone.com
For Vista Equity Partners
Brian Steel (212) 804-9170 media@vistaequitypartners.com
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