Berkshire Hathaway buys 10% stake in Axalta Coating Systems
by The Associated Press
Berkshire will pay $28 each to buy 20 million shares of Axalta from the private equity firm The Carlyle Group
OMAHA, Neb.—Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. will pay $560 million for a nearly 10 per cent stake in Axalta Coating Systems, which has seen its stock rise more than 36 per cent since it went public last fall.
Axalta makes high performance coating systems for use on vehicles and in industrial markets.
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. said April 7 that Berkshire will pay $28 each to buy 20 million shares of Axalta from the private equity firm The Carlyle Group, which will still hold a 45 per cent stake in the Philadelphia company after the sale. Berkshire’s price is a slight discount to the stock’s closing price of $28.33 on Monday.
Axalta won’t receive proceeds from the sale.
Berkshire owns companies in several industries including utilities and energy, freight rail transportation and insurance. It agreed not to dispose of Axalta’s shares for 90 days after the sale is completed, and Axalta will provide Berkshire with certain registration rights after that 90-day window.
Carlyle Group took Axalta public last November with an initial public offering of 50 million shares. Its stock closed at $20.75 on its first trading day.
