ACS Announces Intent to Repurchase Up to 55.5 Million Shares of Its Class A Common Stock Through a Modified 'Dutch Auction' Tend
January 26 2006 - 4:02PM
PR Newswire (US)
DALLAS, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Affiliated Computer
Services, Inc. (NYSE:ACS) today announced that its Board of
Directors has authorized a modified "Dutch Auction" tender offer to
purchase up to 55.5 million shares of its Class A common stock at a
price per share not less than $56.00 and not greater than $63.00.
The tender offer is expected to commence on or about February 6,
2006, and to expire on or about March 6, 2006, unless extended. The
number of shares proposed to be purchased in the tender offer
represents approximately 45% percent of ACS' currently outstanding
common stock. In the tender offer, ACS' stockholders will have the
opportunity to tender some or all of their shares at a price within
the $56.00 to $63.00 per share range. Based on the number of shares
tendered and the prices specified by the tendering stockholders,
ACS will determine the purchase price per share by selecting the
lowest per share price within the range that will enable it to buy
55.5 million shares, or such lesser number of shares that are
properly tendered. All shares accepted in the tender offer will be
purchased at the same price per share even if the stockholder
tendered at a lower price. If stockholders tender more than 55.5
million shares at or below the purchase price per share, ACS will
purchase the shares tendered by those stockholders on a pro rata
basis, as will be specified in the offer to purchase that will be
distributed to stockholders upon the commencement of the tender
offer. None of ACS, its Board of Directors, the dealer manager, the
information agent or the depository is making any recommendation to
shareholders as to whether to tender or refrain from tendering
their shares into the tender offer. Shareholders must decide how
many shares they will tender, if any, and the price within the
stated range at which they will tender their shares. The tender
offer will not be contingent upon any minimum number of shares
being tendered. The tender offer, however, will be subject to a
number of other terms and conditions, including the receipt of
financing as noted below as well as any applicable regulatory or
other consents, all of which will be specified in the offer to
purchase. "The tender offer we announced today is consistent with
our confidence in the long-term future of ACS and our commitment to
enhancing shareholder value," stated Darwin Deason, ACS' Founder
and Chairman of the Board. "This tender offer represents an
opportunity for the Company to deliver value to those shareholders
who elect to tender their shares, while at the same time increasing
the proportional ownership of non-tendering shareholders in ACS. We
believe the Company possesses the necessary financial strength to
successfully complete the tender offer and the related borrowings
without impacting our ability to grow and deliver services to our
clients." Mr. Deason continued, "With the assistance of management
and outside advisors, our Board has undertaken a review of the
Company's strategic plan, its use of cash flows from operations
for, among other things, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt
repayment, dividends and share repurchases, and a variety of
alternatives for using the Company's available resources. Based
upon its review, the Board determined that returning capital to the
shareholders through the tender offer is an effective means of
providing value to our shareholders and that increasing the
Company's financial leverage to fund the tender offer is a prudent
use of our financial resources." ACS has obtained a commitment
letter from Citigroup Global Markets Inc. which will be used to
finance the tender offer. Accordingly, the tender offer will be
conditioned upon receipt of this financing pursuant to the terms
and customary conditions contained in the commitment letter and on
terms satisfactory to ACS on or prior to the expiration date of the
tender offer. ACS' directors and executive officers have advised
ACS that they do not intend to tender any of their shares in the
tender offer. Citigroup Global Markets Inc., is the Company's
financial advisor and dealer manager for the tender offer. On the
commencement date of the tender offer, the offer to purchase, a
letter of transmittal and related documents will be mailed to
stockholders of record and also will be made available for
distribution to beneficial owners of ACS' common stock. ACS, a
FORTUNE 500 company with more than 55,000 people supporting client
operations in nearly 100 countries, provides business process
outsourcing and information technology solutions to world-class
commercial and government clients. The Company's Class A common
stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "ACS".
ACS makes technology work. Visit ACS on the Internet at
http://www.acs-inc.com/ . This press release is for informational
purposes only and is not an offer to buy, or the solicitation of an
offer to sell, any shares. The full details of the tender offer,
including complete instructions on how to tender shares, along with
the letter of transmittal and related materials, are expected to be
mailed to stockholders promptly following commencement of the
offer. Stockholders should carefully read the offer to purchase,
the letter of transmittal and other related materials when they are
available because they will contain important information.
Stockholders may obtain free copies, when available, of the tender
offer statement and other filed documents relating thereto that
will be filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission at the Commission's website at http://www.sec.gov/ .
When available, stockholders also may obtain a copy of these
documents, free of charge, from the Company's information agent to
be appointed in connection with the offer. Stockholders are urged
to read these materials carefully prior to making any decision with
respect to the tender offer. FCMN Contact: kevin.kyser@acs-inc.com
DATASOURCE: ACS, Inc. CONTACT: analysts, Warren Edwards, Executive
Vice President-Chief Financial Officer, +1-214-841-8082, or , or
media, Lesley Pool, Senior Vice President-Chief Marketing Officer,
+1-214-841-8028, or , both of Affiliated Computer Services, Inc.
Web site: http://www.acs-inc.com/
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