AP: An investment group that includes billionaire investor Warren Buffett acquired Heinz in a $23.3 billion deal.
AP: An investment group that includes billionaire investor Warren Buffett acquired Heinz in a $23.3 billion deal.
The ketchup company says it’s the largest deal ever in the food industry. Heinz shareholders will receive $72.50 in cash for each share of common stock they own. The transaction value includes the assumption of Heinz’s debt. Based on Heinz’s number of shares outstanding, the deal is worth $23.3 billion excluding debt.
In addition to its ketchup, Heinz makes Classico spaghetti sauces, Ore-Ida potatoes and Smart Ones frozen meals. The company was founded by Henry John Heinz and his neighbor L. Clarence Noble in 1869. The pair’s first product was grated horseradish, bottled in a clear glass to showcase its purity. The first ketchup was introduced in 1876; the company says it was the country’s first commercial grade ketchup.
