Del Monte Foods Company LBO Deal Report 1. Del Monte Foods Company (DLM or ‘the company’) is one of US 's largest producers, distributors and marketers of premium quality, branded pet products and food products for the retail market. It is the world’s sixth largest manufacturer of preserved food, and the leading producer of both preserved fruit and preserved tomatoes . Its pet products segment includes brands like Meow Mix, Kibbles n Bits, Milk-Bone, 9Lives, Pup-Peroni, Gravy Train, Nature 's Recipe, Canine Carry Outs, and Milo 's Kitchen, while its food products segment includes brands like Contadina, S&W, and College Inn. It sells these products to the retail markets via grocery chains, club stores, supercenters and mass …show more content…
By deleveraging over the years, DLM has decreased its debt levels, increased its debt capacity and financial flexibility, and thus reduced the overall probability of any financial distress. It also has shown steadily growing earnings and operating cash flows which indicate that the company has the capacity to service any additional debt and still remain a going concern. DLM operates in a stable and mature industry of pet and food products which although affected by periodic economic downturns are not cyclical or seasonal in nature. This means that the company has steady stream of income round the year. The company is able to generate these cash flows by a steady expense of capital that increased from $96.7MM in 2008 to $104.9MM in 2010 (4.5% CAGR), and thus indicating a low level of capital expense. Macro-economic factors such as the downturn in the economy could also mean that there are imperfections in the market due to which the company is undervalued and is thus a ‘low-hanging fruit’ with low purchase multiples. Lastly, from a PE firm’s perspective, if it brought in experienced people with the likes of Jim Kilts (ex-P&G, ex-Gillette turnaround strategist) on its management, it should be able to bring in the necessary operational, financial, and governance expertise to DLM and turn it into a more profitable organization by taking it private. All these factors made DLM a good candidate for an LBO by a
The stock market has increased from 1.896 in ’86 to 4.789 in ’95 thus creating an incentive for DLJ to offer an IPO. Strategy involved being the IPO allowed employees to exchange their compensation plans for shares and options in DLJ thus giving them an incentive to stay with the company. There were also many advantages and disadvantages related to DLJ going public. Advantages included DLJ increasing liquidity and allowing founders to harvest their wealth, permitting founders to diversify, facilitated raising new corporate cash, established value for the firm, and increasing the potential markets. Disadvantages included the cost of reporting, new disclosure requirements, self-dealings, a possibility of inactive markets reducing price, the firm losing some of its control, and a higher degree of investor relations had to be maintained.
LM may see a reduction in costs and an increase in sales (operating economies). LM is currently under pressure to reduce its costs. In 2005, over half of LM’s revenues came from the Department of Defense and only 15% came for international markets. They are relying heavily on the Department of Defense for sales and, by acquiring NSI (thereby getting access to a new customer base), they will be able leverage their expertise and realize higher growth.
To judge if a company is a good LBO candidate the following are very important factors: low levels of debt in the target, stable cash flows, excess cash on-hand, assets that can be used as collateral to raise debt and no major capital requirements to keep the business running on an on-going basis. Congoleum is an ideal LBO candidate because:
The unhealthy financial state of the company could be due to the split from the monopoly. Round 0 financial statements demonstrate last year’s results. The company should look into the future because there is room for growth and financial success. For instance, the company can decide to take long term debt to invest it back into the company. The company can also focus drastically on sales to increase their customer base and obtain a higher market share. If the company takes the right direction of growth, it will quickly become a healthier
Our recommendation is to take Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) private through a private equity buyout. After doing so, we recommend implementing a centralized management structure and recruiting retail-savvy executives for the upper management team. We then recommend focusing on increasing value by capitalizing on SHLD’s real estate holdings through leasing agreements and increasing partnerships with complementary enterprises. Also, we recommend improving employee retention rates and retaining exclusive rights to private brands. Finally, we recommend focusing on a long-term strategy to continue to maximize SHLD’s ecommerce platforms. We believe these recommendations will lead to long-term stability through increases in customer base and
Representatives have approached breeder’s Own Pet Foods, Inc. from Marketing Momentum Unlimited, a marketing and advertising consulting firm. The reason for the meeting was to discuss the company’s possible entry into the retail branded dog food market in the Boston market.
By divesting IPD, Nova could focus on its specialty chemicals business, which would experience heavy investments and rapid growth in the coming years. While specialty chemicals may need to now source raw material from the market instead of IPD it maybe for the better since IPD was operating at a cost disadvantage. Our calculations also show that the rest of Nova, namely LPD and EPD, could do much better without IPD. The combination of LPD and EPD could be worth $920 million, according to projected cash flows derived from the pro forma income statement. If this value were realized, the value/sales ratio would be 2.5, which is much higher than the industry average of 0.7. The combination of LPD and EPD could be a star in the market!
Breeder’s Own Pet Foods, Inc. proposes to adopt a market penetration strategy due to having identified a growth opportunity in the dog food market, for its nutritionally balanced, high quality dog food brand, Breeder’s Mix. This premium product has been sold traditionally, to the show dog kennel market, but company executives are now convinced it can be repackaged and offered as a frozen premium product, to picky pet owners via general retail distribution channels. Since the product is considered premium, it should fetch premium prices because of its ingredients and its claimed benefits to
Maple Leaf Foods (MLF), a result of many mergers and amalgamations, has been in Canada for over 100 years. Its operations focus on three core areas: meat products, agribusiness and bakery products. The meat product group is the largest, with sales to about $2.5 billion in 2000. Each business is made up of independent operating companies (IOCs), with each IOC run by a president and encouraged to follow a common set of values. Efforts are underway to optimize vertical coordination of the IOCs. A major concern for the meat product division is the loss of market share in the hot dog industry where average price per kilo is increasing
To judge if a company is a good LBO candidate the following are very important factors: low levels of debt in the target, stable cash flows, excess cash on-hand, assets that can be used as collateral to raise debt and no major capital requirements to keep the business running on an on-going basis. Congoleum is an ideal LBO candidate because:
packaged meat items, such as hot dogs, bologna, and sausage. Due to increased costs in
My mind will often wander to all the places I've lived in and all those I would love to travel to, or visit again. I remember the cool streets of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and how it compares to the over 100 degree temperature of where I am now, the dry heat of El Paso, Texas, a place I often come back to. The soil where my roots are forever ingrained in. El Paso has grown significantly in the past 10 years alone, and is currently the sixth most populous city in Texas (World Population Review). It's far from it's days when it was widely known as “El Chuco,” or “ChucoTown,” nicknames whose origins and meaning have long been debated, but no matter how much of the new generation is unfamiliar with these terms the history lives on in the streets and
Recapitalization seems to be the best alternative discussed in the case, mainly because of the underlying 39% IRR (discussed below). There are chances to expand the pie (through consolidation and/or operational improvement) and sell it at a higher price, taking the advantage of the potential market pick-up in 2003. Two potential risks are that the higher price is not guaranteed and that there is low interest from financial buyers and no powerful strategic buyer, future selling negotiations may take time again.
The owner of Hansson Private Label (HPL) must determine whether or not to accept an aggressive expansion project that would preclude the company from pursuing any alternative investment opportunities for several years. The investment, if successful, would offer numerous benefits to the company, capturing greater market share, strengthening relationships with major customers, crowding out competition and increasing firm value. Nonetheless, the decision carries significant risks and could lead to a substantial decline in firm value, if not bankruptcy, should any number of variables prove unfavorable to HPL. Moreover, the project relies heavily on a contract with a single large
Transition your existing pet food product lines to capture market share and dominant market presence in the growing organic and natural pet food market. The primary business objective is to develop new markets in a stalling and business with decreasing profit margins by appealing to the products that appeal to the health and safety of pets and their owners. Our objective is to use your business’ existing strengths to emerge as the premier organic pet food brand and build a foundation for continued growth.