Gannett attracts takeover interest

Article Excerpt

GANNETT CO. INC. $9.38 (New York symbol GCI; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector: Shares outstanding: 114.5 million; Market cap: $1.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.4; Dividend yield: 6.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.gannett.com) publishes its flagship newspaper, USAToday, along with more than 100 others throughout the U.S. It also has over 200 magazine titles and other publications, along with newspapers in the U.K. The company has rejected a $12.00-a-share takeover offer from MNG Enterprises, Inc. Privately held MNG (which operates as Digital First Media) publishes roughly 200 newspapers in the U.S. It already holds 7.5% of Gannett’s shares. In response, MNG now plans to launch a proxy contest to replace a majority of Gannett’s directors at the 2019 annual meeting. The stock continues to trade below MNG’s bid, which indicates investors do not expect a better offer. It’s also possible that the company may try to find another buyer. Gannett is still a buy. buy…