Why Axiall Corp.'s Shares Jumped 26% Today

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What: Shares of chemical maker Axiall Corp jumped 26%, and traded in a tight range, in this morning's trading after Axiall finally accepted a buyout offer from Westlake Chemical . Axiall saw Lotte Chemical of South Korea join the fray earlier this week, and some urgency was finally put on getting a deal done.

So what: Westlake Chemical will pay $33 in cash for each share of Axiall, making for a $3.8 billion transaction when debt is included. The combined company expects to see $100 million in cost synergies and generate $7.6 billion in revenue and $1.5 billion in EBITDA.

Westlake also says that it has commitments for the financing needed to complete the transaction.

Now what: This ends a long battle over the future of Axiall Corp., which Westlake had coveted for quite some time. And given that Axiall's shares are trading very close to the offer price, it's probably time for investors to take some chips off the table. I doubt this becomes a further bidding war, considering how long this dance has gone on, so upside potential is probably lower than the risk of a deal falling through.

The article Why Axiall Corp.'s Shares Jumped 26% Today originally appeared on Fool.com.

Travis Hoium 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.

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