Barnes & Noble Stock Soars on $683 Million Acquisition by Owner of UK's Waterstones

Barnes & Noble Inc (NYSE:BKS) shares are flying off the shelves after the company announced a $683 million acquisition deal that will bring together the largest booksellers in the US and UK.

Elliot Advisors Limited, which owns Waterstones bookstores, will pay $6.50 per share, a 41% premium over B&N’s Wednesday close.

The share price jumped nearly 30% Thursday afternoon when reports of the deal first surfaced and climbed another 10% to $6.55 before the bell Friday as the move became official.

READ: Barnes & Noble weighs sale after receiving interest from multiple parties

Waterstones CEO James Daunt will assume the same position at Barnes & Noble once the deal is closed. He’ll be taking over an operation that operates 627 stores in all 50 states.

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Elliott, the owner of Waterstones, a bookseller I have admired over the years,” founder and Chairman Leonard Riggio said. “In view of the success they have had in the bookselling marketplace, I believe they are uniquely suited to improve and grow our company for many years ahead..”

Waterstones owns 293 stores in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. It was bought by Elliot in April 2018.

Contact Andrew Kessel at andrew.kessel@proactiveinvestors.com

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Story by ProactiveInvestors