Banks led by JPMorgan Chase & Co. are indicating they may alter portions of the $7.2 billion financing arranged to support the planned buyout of Sealed Air Corp., in an effort to resolve a standoff with investors who have raised objections to some elements of the package.
People familiar with the situation told reporters that the lender group has signaled intent to offer lenders stronger protections. The items under review include provisions that would apply if the Bubble Wrap maker were to be split up after the takeover by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. The sources emphasized that no final decisions on specific changes have been reached.
The leveraged buyout financing - one of the larger deals this year - has faced difficulty securing the level of demand the banks anticipated. Market participants have expressed unease that a potential spin-off of Sealed Air’s food or protective packaging businesses could leave lenders with a diminished and less cohesive set of assets supporting the debt.
That concern appeared to be reflected in early demand figures. The largest element of the package, a U.S. dollar loan, had accumulated about $3.0 billion of orders a few hours before the cutoff for investor commitments, short of the $4.1 billion target for that tranche, according to the same people.
Work remains underway among the arranger banks to try to bridge the gap with investors. Any amendments would be intended to bolster protections for the debt holders and to ease investor reluctance tied to the structure of potential divestitures after the acquisition.
Context limitations - Reporting around these negotiations is based on people familiar with the matter; the lender group has not announced finalized changes.