BAC – MER Deal May Not Happen
September 15, 2008
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RELATED TICKERS: BAC
, MER
Today we learned that the BAC offer for MER wasn’t really $29 per share, but was an all stock deal swapping 0.8595 shares of BAC for each MER share. This sets up an arbitrage trade that should keep the value of the two securities tied closely to the deal ratio.
Today’s BAC closing price of $26.55 values MER at $22.82. But, MER closed at $17.06, barely above Friday’s close before the buyout was known.
If the arbitrage traders believed the deal was on track to close at the announced share swap ratio, they would be selling BAC and buying MER to cash in on the $5+ per share discrepancy. At today’s close the arbitrage trade would be something like:
Sell 8,595 shares of BAC for $228,200
Buy 10,000 shares of MER for $170,000
When the buyout is completed, the two share positions cancel each other out and the trader keeps the $58,000 difference minus trading costs. If a deal is a near certainty, arbitragers will execute these trades anytime the spreads get wide enough to make it profitable and the shares will stay within a couple percent of trading in tandem.
A spread this large tells us the market thinks there’s a good chance the deal either isn't going through or will get changed to be less favorable to MER.
Stand-by market news junkies, the fireworks with this one may not be over.
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