Carmike Cinemas Inc. Surges on Acquisition by AMC Entertainment Holdings

What: Shares of Carmike Cinemas jumped on Friday following the announcement that AMC Entertainment Holdings was buying the theater chain in a deal valued at $1.1 billion. At noon Friday, Carmike stock was up about 16.5%, while AMC's had risen 3.25%.

Image source: Carmike Cinemas.

So what: AMC, which was purchased by China's Dalian Wanda Group in 2012 and taken public in late 2013, will become the largest movie theater operator in the world following the completion of the deal. AMC currently operates 5,426 screens in the United States, while the smaller Carmike operates 2,954 screens. Carmike investors will receive $30 per share, roughly a 20% premium to the stock's closing price on Thursday. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2016.

AMC expects the combination to produce annual cost synergies of $35 million, with the transaction being accretive to free cash flow per share. AMC CEO Adam Aron pointed to the benefits of the acquisition by saying:

Now what: With AMC's screens mostly in urban locations, the acquisition of the suburban and rural-focused Carmike allows the company to geographically diversify its operations. Carmike CEO David Passman had this to say of the deal:

The article Carmike Cinemas Inc. Surges on Acquisition by AMC Entertainment Holdings originally appeared on Fool.com.

Timothy Green has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.