exchange offer

Case Study

In April 2001 AT&T offered its stockholders shares in AT&T Wireless Group in exchange for shares of AT&T Corp. The exchange offer was intended to split off AT&T Wireless from the parent company as part of the firm's planned restructuring into three separate and independent corporations. At the time of the offer, AT&T owned approximately 70% of AT&T Wireless that traded on the New York Stock Exchange as a tracking stock. Japan's Nippon Telegraph & Telephone had earlier paid nearly $10 billion for 16% of AT&T Wireless. According to terms of the exchange offer, AT&T would issue 1.176 shares of AT&T Wireless Group for each share of AT&T stock. The exchange ratio represented a 6.5% premium compared to AT&T's common stock, which was then trading for $22 per share. AT&T announced it would accept up to 427.7 million shares of its common stock in the exchange, which would be conducted on a pro rata basis in the event AT&T stockholders tendered more than 427.7 million shares.