(By Balaseshan) Winnebago Industries Inc. (NYSE:WGO), a manufacturer of recreation vehicles, has rejected a takeover offer from North Street Capital LP of $11.00 per share in cash, a 29.3% premium to Thursday's close.
The Forest City, Iowa-based company said it has not received sufficient information to deem the offer as credible.
Winnebago confirmed it received an unsolicited non-binding highly-conditional letter from North Street Capital LP, the investment firm of racing car enthusiast Alex Mascioli, proposing to buy all outstanding common shares of Winnebago.
If the assumed shares outstanding is 29.23 million, then the offer valued the company at $321.53 million.
The company, which posted a second-quarter loss due to increased discounting and aggressive pricing, has been hard hit by weak consumer spending and rise in gasoline prices.
Winnebago's board of directors will review any additional information relating to the North Street letter and respond in due course, consistent with its fiduciary duties to act in the best interests of the company and its stockholders, and in consultation with its independent financial and legal advisors.
The "offer" described in the letter is highly conditional, requiring, among other things, due diligence and further negotiation. The company advises that no offer has been made to shareholders and that they need not take any action at this time in response to North Street's letter.
WGO is trading up 4.11% at $8.86 on Friday. The stock has been trading between $6.02 and $12.40 for the past 52 weeks.