See: Poison Pill.
A poison pill is a strategy to protect a company from a takevoer. A poison put represents a particular tactical method to achieve the goal. Like picking cyanide vs. arsenic.
The put in question gets attached to the company's bonds. It's a provision that allows the bondholders to demand repayment if a takeover happens before the bonds are due. So the bonds can get repaid in full...but the option only exists in case of a takeover.
The situation makes a potential takeover much more expensive. Any incoming owners would be faced with a possible big debt repayment bill if bondholders exercise the put. It gives current stockholders leverage against a takeover.
Related or Semi-related Video
Finance: What Is a Call Option?25 Views
finance a la shmoop. what is a call option? option? option, where are you? okay
yeah yeah. not phone options, call options. and a close but no cigar. a call option [man smokes in a tub of cash]
is the right to call or buy a security. the concept is easy the math is hard.
you think Coca Cola's poised for a breakout as they go into the new low
calorie beverage business. their stock is at 50 bucks a share and you can buy a [man stands on a stage as crowd cheers]
call option for $1. well that call option buys you the right
to then buy coke stock at 55 bucks a share anytime you want in the next
hundred and 20 days. so let's say Coke announces its new sugarless drink flavor
zero it's two weeks later and the stock skyrockets to fifty eight dollars a
share. you've already paid the dollar for the option now you have to exercise it. [man lifts weights]
so you buy the stock and you're all in now for fifty five dollars plus one or
fifty six bucks a share and your total value is now fifty eight bucks. well you
could turn around today and sell the bundle that moment, and you'll have
turned your dollar into two dollars of profit really fast. and obviously had the [equation on screen]
stock not skyrocketed so quickly well you would have lost everything. still you
lucked out and now you're sitting on some serious cash, courtesy of your call [two men in a tub of cash]
options. as for Coke flavor zero turned out to be nothing more than canned water.
Up Next
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