This takeover is still in limbo

Article Excerpt

TEGNA INC. $20 is still a hold. The company (New York symbol TGNA; Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 222.9 million; Market cap: $4.5 billion; Dividend yield: 1.9%; Takeover Target Rating: Highest; www.tegna.com) owns 64 TV stations and two radio stations in 51 U.S. markets. The company took its current form in June 2015 when it spun off its newspaper operations as Gannett Co. Inc. (New York symbol GCI). In February 2022, Tegna accepted a $24.00-a-share takeover offer from private equity firm Standard General. Private equity firm Apollo Global Management Inc., which also owns TV stations, is helping Standard finance the takeover. That has raised fears the deal would limit competition in certain markets. Regulators continue to study the proposed takeover. As a result, the companies have agreed to extend the closing date to February 22, 2023. Under the original agreement, Standard is required to pay Tegna shareholders an extra $0.05 a share for every month beyond the closing date (called a “ticking fee”). That fee rises in…