Australian accounting software maker MYOB Group Ltd on Wednesday said its second-biggest shareholder has agreed, with reservations, to vote in favor of U.S. private-equity firm KKR & Co Inc’s A$1.6 billion ($1.14 billion) takeover bid.
Manikay Partners, which Refinitiv data showed owns 16 percent of MYOB, said in a letter to the company it was disappointed with the software maker’s continued recommendation of KKR’s marked-down A$3.40 per share bid in the face of improving market conditions.
The U.S. hedge fund, which data showed had bought shares as recently as last month, had been gunning for a price increase by KKR.
KKR in October initially offered A$3.70 per MYOB share but later raised the price to A$3.77, prompting the software firm to grant KKR access to its financial records to conduct due diligence. KKR then dropped its offer to the current price in December.
A spokesperson for KKR declined to comment on Wednesday.
In its letter, disclosed in a MYOB statement, Manikay Partners said it felt it would be “better served” allocating its capital elsewhere.
MYOB shareholders will vote whether to accept KKR’s offer on April 17.
Source: Reuters.com