Desktop Metal (DM) to Be Acquired by Stratasys at $1.88 Per Share
by Nicholas Alan Clayton on 2023-05-25 at 9:07am

Desktop Metal (NYSE:DM), which combined with Trine Acquisition Corporation in December 2020, announced it was headed into a new combination this morning as it has agreed to be absorbed an all-stock merger with peer Stratasys that would value it at about $1.88 per share.

Shareholders in the de-SPAC are expected to own about 41% of the combined company at close after receiving 0.123 Stratasys shares for each Desktop Metal share they hold. Stratasys last closed at $15.26 and so the price represents a slender 7.4% premium over Desktop Metal’s last closing price of $1.75.

This is a steep fall from Desktop Metal’s de-SPAC zenith as it hit a high of $34.94 in February 2021 when excitement around SPACs was at a fever pitch. But, its own delays in hitting commercialization goals began sinking its stock soon after, and the company has traded below $10 since July of that year.

This has of course been compounded by the changing appetites of the market away from growth and tech; towards cash and stability. So, while this deal may not be a short-term bonanza for Desktop Metal investors, there could be significantly more upside in the combined company.

The parties estimate the merger could drive about $50 million in cost synergies and another $50 million in revenue synergies. The deal also could also offer a much more stable bridge to profitability for Desktop Metal.

Statasys has already achieved consistent positive EBITDA with $7 million generated in the first quarter of 2023, while Desktop Metal reported a -$24.4 million EBITDA loss in the same period despite recent cost-cutting efforts.

Together, the two companies are expected to generate $885 million in revenue in 2023, with Stratasys accounting for $650 million (73.4%) of this amount. The parties also project the combined company to hit EBITDA margins of 10%-12% in 2025 and the pair have a combined $437 million cash on hand to help get there.

There also is still the possibility of bigger cash value in the offing as well.

Before announcing this deal, Stratasys had fended off multiple bids from its largest shareholder, Nano Dimension, to increase its stake to a majority position and Nano increased this to a hostile $18 all-cash offer also this morning.

This would be a 20.9% premium to Stratasys’ last trading price, but the twin news of its Desktop Metal merger and the bid have pushed it to $15.45 in the pre-market. That narrows the premium to 16.5%, while boosting the value of shares Desktop Metal investors are to receive to $1.90.

At $18, Desktop Metal’s compensation rises to $2.21 per share, a 26.5% premium over its last close. Of course, if Desktop Metal shareholders are to be issued enough equity to make up a 41% stake, then Nano would need to scoop up more shares to finish in a majority as well.

The parties do not expect the Desktop Metal/Stratasys merger to be completed until the fourth quarter so there is still time for these various moving parts to play out.

Recent Posts
by Nicholas Alan Clayton on 2024-11-18 at 3:08pm

Columbus Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:COLAU) has filed for a $57.5 million IPO to give its team a second vehicle in circulation to hunt for deals. The same team IPO’d Eureka (NASDAQ:EURK) in July at a slightly smaller $50 million scale and this new SPAC would improve upon some of that foray’s terms. Both SPACs managed to...

by Nicholas Alan Clayton on 2024-11-18 at 8:20am

At the SPAC of Dawn One week before Thanksgiving, SPACs are not filling up their plate with just five votes scheduled, all of which are extensions. Five of these are set to take place today, and investors are also set to get an update on one of the most successful de-SPACs of recent years. Industrial...

by Kristi Marvin on 2024-11-16 at 10:00am

Terms Tracker for the Week Ending November 15, 2024 Welcome to our weekly column where we discuss the findings from our IPO terms tracker based on the previous week’s pricings. The drought in De-SPAC deals continues without a single announced combination since October 23rd. That’s more than three weeks now with SPACs experiencing a dry...

by Nicholas Alan Clayton on 2024-11-15 at 11:28am

Few corners of the market have seen a bigger boost from the result of the US elections than the crypto industry, and SPACs are always sure to be drawn to where the action is. But, in crypto’s case, this is a play that SPACs have been involved in before, so the question is more of...

by Nicholas Alan Clayton on 2024-11-15 at 8:26am

At the SPAC of Dawn As more information continues to trickle out about what investors should expect from the Trump 2.0 tax changes, it has become increasingly clear that the $7,500 EV tax credit is on the outs. Such a change could shift the strategies for many EV de-SPACs and prospective SPAC targets in the...

logo

Copyright © 2023 SPACInsider, Inc. All Rights Reserved