This week is a crucial time for Samsung Electronics’ ambition toward the automotive electronics industry, as shareholders of Harman International Industries Inc. will hold a meeting Friday to vote on a deal by Samsung to acquire the US car technology firm, according to sources Monday.
Samsung announced an $8 billion deal to take over Harman last November for its new growth engine. Under the deal, the Korean tech giant will buy Harman at $112 per share, paying a 37 percent premium on the stock’s 30-day average closing price.
However, in early January, some minority shareholders of Harman in Stamford, Connecticut, filed a class-action suit with the Delaware Chancery Court against Harman’s chief executive officer, in opposition to the deal.
Among the shareholders filing suit is Atlantic Investment Management with 2.3 percent stake in Harman. The shareholder claims that Samsung’s acquisition price is too low considering Harman’s stock performance last year, which posted $145.
Harman’s Friday meeting of shareholders will have the deal with Samsung on the agenda, according to sources.
“There will be no change in our stance to proceed with the deal, while the issue is up to the Harman management,” said a Samsung official at a conference call on its fourth-quarter performance held last month.
Shareholders with a combined 50 percent in stakes must approve the Samsung deal.
If approved, the deal will also need approval by antitrust regulators from the US, the European Union and China. Samsung aims to conclude the purchase by the third quarter of this year.
The Harman takeover has been the largest deal initiated by Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong since he took the helm of the electronics unit. The success of the deal is deemed crucial for Lee, as he faces a heavy leadership challenge in being investigated by a special counsel over bribery suspicions surrounding President Park Geun-hye and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil in an ongoing political scandal.
“The shareholders meeting may not be an issue, because the deal is already supported by majority shareholders,” said a financial analyst. “However, approval by the US authority might be later affected by the new Trump administration that would be less favorable for international M&As.”
By Song Su-hyun (
song@heraldcorp.com)
