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November 02, 2006 at 06:36 AM
AEGON N.V. has agreed to pay $293 million in cash for Clark Inc., a player in the U.S. executive benefits market.
AEGON., The Hague, Netherlands, would be paying Clark stockholders an average of about $16.55 per share. That compares with a closing price of $12.50 the afternoon before the deal was announced.
AEGON already owns 13% of Clark’s stock through an affiliate, AUSA Holdings Inc., and AUSA has been paying Clark $2.5 million per year under an administrative services and bonus forfeiture agreement, according to reports Clark has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Representatives for securities lawyers have been posting to Internet message boards in an effort to find investors who want to force Clark to find a suitor who will pay a higher price.
AEGON notes in the deal announcement that the acquisition agreement gives Clark managers the right to solicit offers from other potential buyers.
Clark, founded in 1967, may be best known for units that sell corporate-owned life insurance, bank-owned life insurance and a variety of executive compensation arrangements, but the company has acquired many other boutique operations over the years, such as its federal policy group, a Washington lobbying firm.
AEGON is acquiring Clark partly to expand distribution for its COLI and BOLI products, AEGON says.
