Following the news that it is raising money to fund the cash part of its takeover of Cooper Tire, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced that it has priced its private offering to eligible purchasers of $850 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2029 and $600 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2031.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company commenced a private offering of US$1.45 billion aggregate principal amount of 8- and 10-year senior notes on 13 May 2021.
With the confirmation of its 197th consecutive quarterly dividend (announced on 6 May 2021), Cooper Tire & Rubber reiterated its position as one of the most consistent dividend-payers out there. However, this time the normally prosaic dividend payment announcement statement was spiced up by a single condition.
Cooper shareholders approve proposed merger with Goodyear Cooper Tire & Rubber Company’s stockholders have voted overwhelmingly to approve the planned merger with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. The vote was held at a special meeting of Cooper stockholders today. Cooper reports that approximately 99 per cent of votes cast were in favour of the transaction. Read our coverage of Goodyear’s acquisition of Cooper here, or in our special 12-page e-paper supplement.
Goodyear’s US$2.8 billion takeover of Cooper has passed a significant milestone, following the deal’s approval by antitrust authorities in China. According to official filings, the merger between Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and Cooper Tire & Rubber Company was approved by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) on 23 April 2021.
Cooper Tire Europe has announced a continuation of its exclusive tyre supply to the FIA World Rallycross and FIA European Rallycross championships for the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons. This year’s World Rallycross season, which commences with the World RX of Norway on 12 June, will be the 8th contested on Cooper tyres.
Avon Tyres and two-time Isle of Man TT race winner and former British Supersport champion Steve Plater has become brand ambassador for Avon’s motorcycle tyre range. Avon has been working closely with Plater in recent months to enhance the 3D Ultra Xtreme and 3D Ultra Xtreme Slick products. Designed and manufactured in the UK, the 3D Ultra Xtreme and 3D Ultra Xtreme Slick, along with the wet-weather 3D Ultra Xtreme Rain Racer, are high-performance tyres developed with demanding track use in mind. Cooper has previously introduced brand ambassadors for particular product ranges, like Formula 1’s David Coulthard, who represented Cooper UHP tyres.
Ryan Patterson has been appointed as senior vice president, Business Integration of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. The role, which Patterson took on in March 2021, means leadership of the integration Cooper Tire, which Goodyear is purchasing.
With the addition of the Cooper Tire business, Goodyear will return to the global number three ranking in passenger car and light truck (PCLT) tyre volumes in 2021. After previously holding the clear number three ranking behind the world’s largest tyre manufacturers, Bridgestone and Michelin, Goodyear was joint third with Continental in both 2017 and 2018. In 2019, Goodyear fell behind Continental to fourth position in 2019 and 2020. Working on a pro forma basis combining original equipment and replacement market tyres, Astutus Research data reveals some interesting facts about the nascent conjoined organisation, with reference to their largest tyre business segment in terms of volume.
Goodyear’s $2.5 billion-dollar acquisition of Cooper is the biggest tyre industry news story of 2021 so far (click here for detailed analysis of the deal itself). But takeovers – especially those this big – are seldom easy. A large portion of the motivation behind the acquisition is to bolster Goodyear’s position in the high-value 4×4 and SUV tyre segments. So, with this in mind, what kind of terrain is the deal likely to encounter as the two companies make their way towards integration?
The US government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced another recall of tyres produced by Cooper Tire & Rubber. This recall potentially relates to more than 430,000 4×4 and SUV tyres in the sizes 275/65R18 and 275/55R20.
Continental Tire the Americas is recalling more than 90,000 Continental, General Tire and Barum tyres in North America that have been over-cured and are thus at risk of developing breakages in the sidewall area. A separate recall of approximately 12,000 Cooper and Mastercraft tyres in North America is taking place due to a possible low tread gauge in the tyres’ shoulder slot area which could cause tread separation and sidewall failure.
The day after Goodyear announced that it is buying Cooper Tire for north of $2.5 billion, Fitch Ratings affirmed its Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (GT) and its Goodyear Europe B.V. (GEBV). Fitch also affirmed its ratings on a number of specific funding lines. Both moves can be interpreted as partially affirming the Goodyear Cooper acquisition’s strategic logic – something that was described as compelling by the senior executives of both companies.
Goodyear’s takeover of Cooper Tire has been positively received by the stock markets, with Cooper’s share price jumping 31.8 per cent from 43.81 before the news was announced to $57.75 two days later. Goodyear‘s share price also swelled, up 28.9 per cent from $13.52 beforehand to $17.43 48 hours after the takeover news was released.
Cooper Tire wasn’t initially looking to sell when Goodyear chief executive Rich Kramer approached the company, Cooper’s president and CEO told journalists in a virtual press conference on 22 February 2021. Rather, Cooper’s management and board were convinced by Goodyear’s “compelling offer” and “strategic logic”. So, what exactly was it that convinced Cooper’s leadership team?
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