Kimco Realty, a shopping center real estate investment trust (REIT) headquartered in Jericho, N.Y., and Weingarten Realty Investors, a shopping center owner, manager and developer, have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Weingarten will merge with and into Kimco.
”The combined company is expected to have a pro forma equity market capitalization of approximately $12.0 billion and a pro forma total enterprise value of approximately $20.5 billion,” said Kimco in a statement.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, each Weingarten common share will be converted into 1.408 newly issued shares of Kimco common stock plus $2.89 in cash. Based on the closing stock price for Kimco on April 14, 2021, this represents a total consideration of approximately $30.32 per Weingarten share.
On a pro forma basis, following the closing of the transaction, Kimco shareholders are expected to own approximately 71% of the combined company’s equity, and Weingarten shareholders are expected to own approximately 29%.
The parties currently expect the transaction to close during the second half of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions, including the approval of both Kimco and Weingarten shareholders.
The merger will create a national operating portfolio of 559 open-air grocery-anchored shopping centers and mixed-use assets comprising approximately 100 million square feet of gross leasable area.
These properties are primarily concentrated in the top major metropolitan markets in the United States. The combined company is expected to benefit from increased scale and density in key Sun Belt markets, enhanced asset quality, tenant diversity, a larger redevelopment pipeline and a deleveraged balance sheet.
