Filing Flows › Dole (DOLE) › Takeover & LBO
Is Dole (DOLE) a takeover target?
A leveraged buyout does not work for Dole on its latest figures: its EBITDA margin is only 2.9% ($275M on revenue of $9.5B), too thin to carry buyout debt. Historically 10.5% of companies with its figures were bought within a year (2.08× the average).
Why a leveraged buyout does not fit
Dole kept 2.9% of its revenue as EBITDA over the last 12 months ($275M on $9.5B). A margin that thin cannot carry the debt a leveraged buyout needs — a small dip in sales would leave nothing for interest — so the model gives no buyout price.
What a takeover could cost
Takeovers on record paid a median premium of 32.5% over the share price before the deal (the middle half 20% to 51.8%), according to the 1,437 merger proxies and tender-offer responses on EDGAR that state a premium. At the median, Dole would cost about $18.52 a share, $1.8B for all its shares.
| Premium | % | Price a share | All shares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low end (a quarter of deals paid less) | 20% | $16.77 | $1.6B |
| Median | 32.5% | $18.52 | $1.8B |
| High end (a quarter paid more) | 51.8% | $21.21 | $2.0B |
The odds, from history
Historically 10.5% of companies with its figures were bought within a year (2.08× the average). Its figures put it in decile 10 of 10 (10 = the most likely to be bought). The odds come from a model of every merger proxy, tender-offer response and going-private statement filed on EDGAR since 2011, set against each company's size, margins, debt, cash flow and growth the year before.
Dole's latest quarter
Dole, Q2 2026: revenue $2.5B (+3% year over year), operating margin 1.9%, net earnings $26.0M, operating cash flow $14.0M. The chart follows the revenue to costs, profit and cash.
Questions
Is Dole being acquired?
No headline, 8-K or 13D about a sale is on file in the last year.
Could private equity buy Dole?
A leveraged buyout does not work for Dole on its latest figures: its EBITDA margin is only 2.9% ($275M on revenue of $9.5B), too thin to carry buyout debt. A margin that thin leaves almost nothing to pay interest with, so buyout debt does not fit.
What would a takeover of Dole cost?
Takeovers on record paid a median premium of 32.5% over the share price before the deal (the middle half 20% to 51.8%), according to the 1,437 merger proxies and tender-offer responses on EDGAR that state a premium. At the median, Dole would cost about $18.52 a share, $1.8B for all its shares.
Updated Nov 8, 2026. Read automatically from SEC filings and public data; errors are possible. Not investment advice.