Kalamazoo, Michigan, Feb. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Stryker (NYSE: SYK) announced today that Stryker B.V., an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Stryker, has extended the offering period of its previously announced cash tender offer for all outstanding ordinary shares of Wright Medical Group N.V. (NASDAQ: WMGI). The tender offer is being made pursuant to the purchase agreement, dated November 4, 2019, among Stryker, Stryker B.V. and Wright Medical.
The tender offer is now scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on April 30, 2020, unless the tender offer is further extended or earlier terminated in accordance with the purchase agreement.
American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, the depositary for the tender offer, has advised Stryker B.V. that as of 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on February 25, 2020, the last business day prior to the announcement of the extension of the offer, 17,446,435 Wright Medical ordinary shares, representing approximately 13.6% of the outstanding Wright Medical ordinary shares, have been validly tendered pursuant to the tender offer and not properly withdrawn. Shareholders who have already tendered their Wright Medical ordinary shares do not have to re-tender their shares or take any other action as a result of the extension of the expiration date of the tender offer.
Completion of the tender offer remains subject to the conditions described in the tender offer statement on Schedule TO filed by Stryker B.V. with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on December 13, 2019, as amended. The tender offer will continue to be extended until all conditions are satisfied or waived, or until the tender offer is terminated, in either case pursuant to the terms of the purchase agreement and as described in the Schedule TO.
Innisfree M&A Incorporated is acting as information agent for the tender offer. Requests for documents and questions regarding the tender offer may be directed to Innisfree M&A Incorporated by telephone, toll-free at (888) 750-5834 for shareholders, or collect at (212) 750-5833 for banks and brokers.
About Stryker
Stryker is one of the world’s leading medical technology companies and, together with its customers, is driven to make healthcare better. The company offers innovative products and services in Orthopaedics, Medical and Surgical, and Neurotechnology and Spine that help improve patient and hospital outcomes. More information is available at www.stryker.com.
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains information that includes or is based on forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities law that are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the failure to satisfy any of the closing conditions to the acquisition of Wright, including the receipt of any required regulatory clearances (and the risk that such clearances may result in the imposition of conditions that could adversely affect the expected benefits of the transaction); delays in consummating the acquisition of Wright; unexpected liabilities, costs, charges or expenses in connection with the acquisition of Wright; the effects of the proposed Wright transaction (or the announcement thereof) on the parties relationships with employees, customers, other business partners or governmental entities; weakening of economic conditions that could adversely affect the level of demand for our products; pricing pressures generally, including cost-containment measures that could adversely affect the price of or demand for our products; changes in foreign exchange markets; legislative and regulatory actions; unanticipated issues arising in connection with clinical studies and otherwise that affect U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of new products, including Wright products; potential supply disruptions; changes in reimbursement levels from third-party payors; a significant increase in product liability claims; the ultimate total cost with respect to recall-related matters; the impact of investigative and legal proceedings and compliance risks; resolution of tax audits; the impact of the federal legislation to reform the United States healthcare system; costs to comply with medical device regulations; changes in financial markets; changes in the competitive environment; our ability to integrate and realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions in full or at all or within the expected timeframes, including the acquisition of Wright; and our ability to realize anticipated cost savings. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
The tender offer for Wright’s outstanding ordinary shares referenced herein commenced on December 13, 2019. This communication is not a recommendation, an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell ordinary shares of Wright or any other securities. This communication may be deemed to be solicitation material in respect of the EGM Proposals (defined below). On December 13, 2019, Stryker filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO, and Wright filed with the SEC a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9. On February 21, 2020, Wright filed with the SEC a preliminary proxy statement in connection with an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of Wright, at which the Wright shareholders will vote on certain proposed resolutions (the “EGM Proposals”) in connection with the transactions referenced herein, and will mail the definitive proxy statement and a proxy card to each shareholder entitled to vote at the extraordinary general meeting. SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE TENDER OFFER STATEMENT (INCLUDING THE OFFER TO PURCHASE, A RELATED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND OTHER OFFER DOCUMENTS), THE SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT ON SCHEDULE 14D-9 AND THE PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO ANY OF THE FOREGOING), AS THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT PERSONS SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION REGARDING TENDERING THEIR ORDINARY SHARES OR MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION. Shareholders can obtain these documents when they are filed and become available free of charge from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Stryker will be available free of charge on Stryker’s website, www.stryker.com, or by contacting Stryker’s investor relations department at katherine.owen@stryker.com. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Wright will be available free of charge on Wright’s website, www.wright.com, or by contacting Wright’s investor relations department at julie.dewey@wright.com. In addition, Wright shareholders may obtain free copies of the tender offer materials by contacting Innisfree M&A Incorporated, the information agent for the tender offer, toll free at (888) 750-5834.
Participants in the Solicitation
Wright, its directors and executive officers and other members of its management and employees, as well as Stryker and its directors and executive officers, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Wright’s shareholders in connection with the EGM Proposals. Information about Wright’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of Wright ordinary shares is set forth in the preliminary proxy statement regarding the transaction, which was filed with the SEC on February 21, 2020, and will be set forth in the definitive proxy statement that will be filed with the SEC and mailed to each shareholder entitled to vote at the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of Wright. Information about Stryker’s directors and executive officers is set forth in the proxy statement for Stryker’s 2019 annual meeting of shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 20, 2019. Shareholders may obtain additional information regarding the direct and indirect interests of the participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the EGM Proposals, including the interests of Wright’s directors and executive officers in the transaction, which may be different than those of Wright’s shareholders generally, by reading the proxy statement and other relevant documents regarding the transaction which will be filed with the SEC.
Contacts
For investor inquiries please contact:
Katherine Owen, Vice President, Strategy & Investor Relations at 269-385-2600 or katherine.owen@stryker.com
For media inquiries please contact:
Yin Becker, Vice President, Communications, Public Affairs and Corporate Marketing at 269-385- 2600 or yin.becker@stryker.com
