Citrix will be acquired by private equity firms in an all-cash deal valued at $16.5 billion, including assumption of debt. Citrix shareholders will receive $104.00 in cash per share, representing a premium of 30% over the company’s unaffected 5-day VWAP as of December 7, 2021, the last trading day before market speculation regarding a potential transaction.
The buyers include affiliates of Vista Equity Partners, a leading global investment firm focused exclusively on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses, and Evergreen Coast Capital, an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management.
Vista and Evergreen intend to combine Citrix and TIBCO Software, one of Vista’s portfolio companies, creating one of the world’s largest software providers. The combination brings together Citrix’s secure digital workspace and application delivery suite with TIBCO’s real-time intelligent data and analytics capabilities. Together, the combined company will serve 400,000 customers, including 98 percent of the Fortune 500, with 100 million users in 100 countries.
“Over the past three decades, Citrix has established itself as the clear leader in secure hybrid work. Our market-leading platform provides secure and reliable access to all of the applications and information employees need to get work done, wherever it needs to get done. By combining with TIBCO, we will expand this platform and the outcomes our customers achieve,” said Bob Calderoni, Chair of the Citrix Board of Directors and Interim Chief Executive Officer and President. “Together with TIBCO, we will be able to operate with greater scale and provide a larger customer base with a broader range of solutions to accelerate their digital transformations and enable them to deliver the future of hybrid work. As a private company, we will have increased financial and strategic flexibility to invest in high-growth opportunities, such as DaaS, and accelerate its ongoing cloud transition.”
“Today’s announcement is the culmination of a strategic review process conducted over five months, including extensive outreach to both potential financial and strategic buyers,” continued Calderoni. “This transaction provides our shareholders with significant immediate cash value. Moreover, this investment by Vista and Evergreen is a testament to the value Citrix has created and the reputation our team has built.”
Added Dan Streetman, CEO of TIBCO, “There has never been a better time to be in the business of connected intelligent analytics, and we’re thrilled to bring our industry-leading solutions to Citrix’s global customers. The workplace has changed forever, and companies everywhere will require real-time access to faster, smarter insights from the increasingly large volumes of data available to them, their employees, and their ecosystems. I couldn’t be more excited about our combined vision and look forward to a strong partnership.”
Separately, Citrix posted Q4 2022 revenue of $851 million, compared to $810 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020, representing 5 percent revenue growth. GAAP net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021 was $103 million, or $0.81 per diluted share, compared to $112 million, or $0.89 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020. For fiscal year 2021, Citrix reported annual revenue of $3.22 billion, compared to $3.24 billion for fiscal year 2020, a 1 percent decrease.
