Filing Flows › Weis Markets (WMK) › Takeover & LBO
Is Weis Markets (WMK) a takeover target?
A leveraged buyout at today's price plus 30% ($101.84 a share) would return a loss of about 13% a year to a private-equity buyer over 5 years; no price, however low, gets a buyer to 20%. Historically 4.3% of companies with its figures were bought within a year (0.85× the average).
The buyout, step by step
| Entry | Amount | How |
|---|---|---|
| Offer price a share | $101.84 | today's $78.34 plus 30% |
| × shares | 24.7 million | |
| = Equity value | $2.5B | |
| + Debt refinanced | $0 | |
| − Cash | $227M | |
| = Enterprise value | $2.3B | 8.7× EBITDA of $262M |
| Fees | $45.9M | 2% of the price |
| New debt | $1.4B | 5.5× EBITDA at 7.65% a year; the limit that binds: 5.5× EBITDA |
| Buyer's own money | $897M | 38% of the cost |
5 years under the buyer
| Year | Revenue | EBITDA | Interest | Free cash flow | Debt left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $5.3B | $274M | $110M | −$35.5M | $1.5B |
| Year 2 | $5.5B | $284M | $113M | −$34.0M | $1.5B |
| Year 3 | $5.7B | $295M | $116M | −$32.3M | $1.5B |
| Year 4 | $5.9B | $305M | $118M | −$30.5M | $1.6B |
| Year 5 | $6.1B | $314M | $120M | −$28.6M | $1.6B |
The exit and the buyer's return
| Exit | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Exit multiple | 6.5× EBITDA | today's trading multiple, before any premium |
| Enterprise value at exit | $2.0B | |
| − Debt left | $1.6B | |
| = Buyer's equity | $445M | |
| Money multiple | 0.50× | on $897M put in |
| Buyer's yearly return (IRR) | −13.1% |
Price against return
What the buyer makes at other premiums over today's $78.34.
| Premium | Price a share | Buyer's IRR |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $86.17 | 0.3% |
| 20% | $94.01 | −6.7% |
| 30% | $101.84 | −13.1% |
| 40% | $109.68 | −16.5% |
| 50% | $117.51 | −19.2% |
The figures used
| Figure | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue, last 12 months | $5.1B | |
| EBITDA, last 12 months | $262M | 5.1% of revenue |
| Depreciation and amortization | $128M | |
| Capital spending | $162M | |
| Debt | $0 | |
| Cash | $227M | |
| Share price | $78.34 | on Nov 6, 2026 |
Fixed rules, the same as the interactive view's starting point: the shares are bought at today's price plus 30%, the company's debt is refinanced and fees take 2%. New debt is the least of 5.5× EBITDA, 65% of the price and the amount whose interest EBITDA covers 2 times, at 7.65% a year (SOFR 3.89% plus the high-yield B spread 3.26% plus 0.5%, rates of Oct 15, 2026). Revenue grows 4.3% in the first year — the company's own rate, held between −3% and +8% — fading to 3% by year 5; the EBITDA margin, depreciation and capital spending stay at today's share of revenue; working capital takes 10% of each year's added revenue; tax is 25% of profit after interest. Every dollar of free cash flow repays debt. After 5 years the buyer sells at today's multiple of EBITDA.
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, Weis Markets would cost about $103.80 a share, $2.6B for all its shares.
| Premium | % | Price a share | All shares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low end (a quarter of deals paid less) | 20% | $94.01 | $2.3B |
| Median | 32.5% | $103.80 | $2.6B |
| High end (a quarter paid more) | 51.8% | $118.92 | $2.9B |
The odds, from history
Historically 4.3% of companies with its figures were bought within a year (0.85× the average). Its figures put it in decile 4 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.
Weis Markets' latest quarter
Weis Markets, Q3 2026: revenue $1.3B (+3% year over year), operating margin 2.2%, net earnings $22.2M, operating cash flow $57.2M. The chart follows the revenue to costs, profit and cash.
Questions
Is Weis Markets being acquired?
No headline, 8-K or 13D about a sale is on file in the last year.
Could private equity buy Weis Markets?
A leveraged buyout at today's price plus 30% ($101.84 a share) would return a loss of about 13% a year to a private-equity buyer over 5 years; no price, however low, gets a buyer to 20%.
What would a takeover of Weis Markets 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, Weis Markets would cost about $103.80 a share, $2.6B for all its shares.
Updated Nov 8, 2026. Read automatically from SEC filings and public data; errors are possible. Not investment advice.