Billionaire entrepreneur and art collector Patrick Drahi is taking auction house Sotheby’s private in a deal valued at $3.7 billion.
Drahi, through his BidFair USA company, will pay $57 per share, which is a 61% premium to the company’s Friday closing stock price.
“This acquisition will provide Sotheby’s with the opportunity to accelerate the successful program of growth initiatives of the past several years in a more flexible private environment,” Sotheby’s CEO Tad Smith said in a written statement.
Sotheby’s, founded in London in 1744, is the oldest company traded on the New York Stock Exchange, where it has been listed for 31 years.
The New York company presents auctions in 10 salesrooms worldwide. Last year the company’s net income totaled $108.6 million, or $2.09 per share, on revenue of $1.04 billion. Adjusted profit totaled $128.9 million, or $2.48 per share.
Drahi, 54, is the founder and controlling shareholder of Altice, which provides telecommunications services in France and elsewhere.
The deal has been approved by Sotheby’s board and is expected to close in the fourth quarter. It’s subject to shareholder approval and regulatory clearance.
Shares of Sotheby’s jumped $20.39, or 57.6%, to $55.78 in Monday morning trading. Before Monday the stock was down 11% in the year to date.