Disney to Acquire Marvel

BURBANK: The Walt Disney Company this morning announced a $4 billion deal to acquire Marvel Entertainment, and its stable of more than 5,000 characters, in a stock and cash transaction.

Under the terms of the agreement, Marvel shareholders will receive $30 in cash plus 0.745 Disney shares for each Marvel share they own. At closing, the amount of cash and stock will be adjusted if necessary. Based on the closing price of Disney stock on Friday, August 28, the transaction value is $50 per Marvel share or approximately $4 billion.

"This transaction combines Marvel’s strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters, including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor,with Disney’s creative skills, unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties, and a business structure that maximizes the value of creative properties across multiple platforms and territories,” said Robert A. Iger, the president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “Ike Perlmutter [Marvel’s CEO] and his team have done an impressive job of nurturing these properties and have created significant value. We are pleased to bring this talent and these great assets to Disney. We believe that adding Marvel to Disney’s unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation."

Perlmutter added: “Disney is the perfect home for Marvel’s fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses. This is an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character properties by accessing Disney’s tremendous global organization and infrastructure around the world.”

Following the acquisition, Perlmutter will oversee the Marvel properties and work directly with Disney’s global lines of business to build and further integrate the Marvel stable with Disney’s portfolio.