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Berkshire acquires Heinz for 72.5 p/s


Phaceliacapital

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I've looked at Kraft 4-5 times over the past couple of years and passed, but I wasn't able to factor coming in and gutting the sucker and then levering up the earnings yield.  I also feel like GIS might eat their lunch with the Annie's brand, if they keep the organic bona fides in place.

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Berkshire will end up with $9.5 Billion cost basis on 320 million KRFT shares after (not receiving) the 16.5 dividend.  Looks like that stock will be worth over $20 billion and pay a decent dividend.  No mention of the preferred, but I bet it's still there earning him 9%.  Interesting deal!  He said it came about in 4 weeks.

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Berkshire will end up with $9.5 Billion cost basis on 320 million KRFT shares after (not receiving) the 16.5 dividend.  Looks like that stock will be worth over $20 billion and pay a decent dividend.  No mention of the preferred, but I bet it's still there earning him 9%.  Interesting deal!  He said it came about in 4 weeks.

 

I was looking at this too and listening to what Buffett said on CNBC this morning.  It basically looks like a double, DAY 1!  That certainly seems like a hell of a deal for Berkshire. 

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Looks like a fair deal, curious to see financing details.

 

As kraft shareholder you get a 25% dividend + 49% of a company with mcap probably around 60 mn (assuming no net debt change + 10x EBITDA)?

 

So 10 mn + 30 mn = 40 mn, + 3G & Buffett as long term partners. Not too shabby

 

This seems like a good way to look at it. Can you elaborate a bit on this. (I am trying to figure out if buying Kraft at $80 or so at this point makes any sense or not. My nose at this point tells me it may be, however, I still have to get my head around the valuation relative to earnings power of the combined company).

 

 

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I see two big value generators for the combined company:

 

1. The cost cutting that 3G will do - I here that is around $1.5 billion per year in savings.

2. Over the longer-term, Kraft should be able to leverage Heinz's international distribution. (There may also be some domestic benefit to Kraft brands as the Heinz brand is probably more of a "must have" brand, and therefore Kraft sales may get a bit of a bump domestically via greater leverage with grocers, etc).

 

I am looking to put together the valuation relative to owner earnings of the combined company focusing on #1 only at this point. What is the starting multiple. Any views?

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I've looked at Kraft 4-5 times over the past couple of years and passed, but I wasn't able to factor coming in and gutting the sucker and then levering up the earnings yield.  I also feel like GIS might eat their lunch with the Annie's brand, if they keep the organic bona fides in place.

 

Now that you are gutting the sucker, despite the price jump in Kraft shares, is it still a good idea to buy Kraft in the low 80s? This is the question I am trying to figure out. My nose tells me there is value and am now trying to figure out if this makes any sense.

 

I see two big value generators for the combined company:

 

1. The cost cutting that 3G will do - I here that is around $1.5 billion per year in savings.

2. Over the longer-term, Kraft should be able to leverage Heinz's international distribution. (There may also be some domestic benefit to Kraft brands as the Heinz brand is probably more of a "must have" brand, and therefore Kraft sales may get a bit of a bump domestically via greater leverage with grocers, etc).

 

I am looking to put together the valuation relative to owner earnings of the combined company focusing on #1 only at this point. What is the starting multiple. Any views?

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I see two big value generators for the combined company:

 

1. The cost cutting that 3G will do - I here that is around $1.5 billion per year in savings.

2. Over the longer-term, Kraft should be able to leverage Heinz's international distribution. (There may also be some domestic benefit to Kraft brands as the Heinz brand is probably more of a "must have" brand, and therefore Kraft sales may get a bit of a bump domestically via greater leverage with grocers, etc).

 

I am looking to put together the valuation relative to owner earnings of the combined company focusing on #1 only at this point. What is the starting multiple. Any views?

 

Quick back of the envelope:

 

http://seventeenmile.com/2015/03/25/events-kraft-foods-group-merger-analysis-march-2015/

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I see two big value generators for the combined company:

 

1. The cost cutting that 3G will do - I here that is around $1.5 billion per year in savings.

2. Over the longer-term, Kraft should be able to leverage Heinz's international distribution. (There may also be some domestic benefit to Kraft brands as the Heinz brand is probably more of a "must have" brand, and therefore Kraft sales may get a bit of a bump domestically via greater leverage with grocers, etc).

 

I am looking to put together the valuation relative to owner earnings of the combined company focusing on #1 only at this point. What is the starting multiple. Any views?

 

Quick back of the envelope:

 

http://seventeenmile.com/2015/03/25/events-kraft-foods-group-merger-analysis-march-2015/

 

Thanks - am digesting this.

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Berkshire will end up with $9.5 Billion cost basis on 320 million KRFT shares after (not receiving) the 16.5 dividend.  Looks like that stock will be worth over $20 billion and pay a decent dividend.  No mention of the preferred, but I bet it's still there earning him 9%.  Interesting deal!  He said it came about in 4 weeks.

 

I was looking at this too and listening to what Buffett said on CNBC this morning.  It basically looks like a double, DAY 1!  That certainly seems like a hell of a deal for Berkshire.

 

 

I think it's more like a double, Year 2.

 

Also, on the "2. Over the longer-term, Kraft should be able to leverage Heinz's international distribution. " point - there are certain brands - Philadelphia Cream cheese for example - that Kraft did not retain the International rights to.  Perhaps Mondelez will make a deal to send them back to Kraft, but there may be a few brands like Philly that can't just be plugged in to the Heinz international distribution network.

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Berkshire will end up with $9.5 Billion cost basis on 320 million KRFT shares after (not receiving) the 16.5 dividend.  Looks like that stock will be worth over $20 billion and pay a decent dividend.  No mention of the preferred, but I bet it's still there earning him 9%.  Interesting deal!  He said it came about in 4 weeks.

 

I was looking at this too and listening to what Buffett said on CNBC this morning.  It basically looks like a double, DAY 1!  That certainly seems like a hell of a deal for Berkshire.

 

 

I think it's more like a double, Year 2.

 

Also, on the "2. Over the longer-term, Kraft should be able to leverage Heinz's international distribution. " point - there are certain brands - Philadelphia Cream cheese for example - that Kraft did not retain the International rights to.  Perhaps Mondelez will make a deal to send them back to Kraft, but there may be a few brands like Philly that can't just be plugged in to the Heinz international distribution network.

 

Thanks re Cream cheese example, I was wondering if this was the case internationally.

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MDLZ took most of growth out of KRFT - I expect operational improvements to be the main focus in the early years

 

How much value does the have-to-have Heinz brand and its domestic presence bring to the pricing power / shelf space negotiations of a Kraft with its less powerful brands - just purely on a domestic basis.

 

If that domestic value was significant, that would be a good tailwind

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MDLZ took most of growth out of KRFT - I expect operational improvements to be the main focus in the early years

 

How much value does the have-to-have Heinz brand and its domestic presence bring to the pricing power / shelf space negotiations of a Kraft with its less powerful brands - just purely on a domestic basis.

 

If that domestic value was significant, that would be a good tailwind

 

Always thought most of the KRFT brands were very strong domestically - it was international presence they lacked. They have Kraft cheese, Oscar Meyer, etc.

 

I mean you are probably right - 3G has a history of overachieving wrt synergies (both revenue and expense) I believe.

 

EDIT: presentation: http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/ABEA-3QV6OO/4150781964x0x817729/F232E16C-6B2F-4526-8920-EE2B1C252555/Kraft_Heinz_Investor_Presentation_2015-03-25.pdf

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I see new Kraft-Heinz as having a $79B MCAP and $31B of debt for about $110B EV today. Pre-synergies you're looking at about $6.6B EBITDA or 16.5X multiple at the current market.

 

1.2B shares @ $66 / share (KRFT less special divvy) = $79B equity market cap + $31B of debt / preferred

 

based on 2014 debt of $31.3 billion and EBITDA of $6.6 billion. Pro forma debt factors in the $8 billion preferred stock as 100% debt since it will be refinanced with debt at the first call date in 2016

 

 

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150325005810/en/Fitch-Places-H.J.-Heinz-Rating-Watch-Positive#.VRL-qOGqkds

 

 

 

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That's why I said basic :D

 

I know. But if you assume they pay debt down 25% (based on Fitch's projections) and tweak your dividend assumptions slightly, you get 14% IRR.

 

Well with an ROE of 20%, and say a dividend yield on book value at 6% or something, that leaves 14% retained earnings to grow the top line at say 4%...so 10% of GAAP earnings or roughly half of GAAP earnings is not needed to maintain the dividend or grow the business. This should mean roughly half of owner earnings can go to debt repayment. Very roughly.

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Interestingly it sounds like quite a few of the international brand licenses that they put inside Mondelez in the separation will ultimately revert to Kraft over time (by 2020 it sounds like for most?).  No factories come back, but Heinz has many facilities around the world to use.  I hope Philly cream cheese comes back over.

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So we have the cost cutting plus potential international expansion long-term via Heinz infrastructure plus Buffett confirmed (but did not want to say it directly) that they would likely look at other acquisitions via Heinz/Kraft - just like all his other businesses. The news anchor noted there was not that much debt and so maybe future acquisitions could be done with some debt.

 

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