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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): June 21, 2008
CORN PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
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Delaware
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1-13397
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22-3514823 |
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(State or Other Jurisdiction
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(Commission File Number)
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(I.R.S. Employer |
of Incorporation)
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Identification Number) |
5 Westbrook Corporate Center, Westchester, Illinois 60654-5749
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
Registrants telephone number, including area code: (708) 551-2600
Not Applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing
obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see
General Instruction A.2. below):
þ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d(b))
o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
On June 21, 2008, Corn Products International, Inc. (Corn Products) entered into a definitive
Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization (the Merger Agreement) with Bunge Limited
(Bunge) and Bleecker Acquisition Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bunge (Sub).
The Merger Agreement provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the
Merger Agreement, Sub will merge with and into Corn Products, with Corn Products as the surviving
corporation of the merger (the Merger). As a result of the Merger, Corn Products will become a
wholly owned subsidiary of Bunge and each outstanding share of Corn Products common stock will be
converted into the right to receive a fraction of a validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable
common share of Bunge (a Bunge Share) equal to the quotient (the Exchange Ratio) determined by
dividing $56.00 by the Bunge Share Value (calculated as set forth below) and rounding to the
nearest ten-thousandth of a share. The Exchange Ratio is subject to a collar such that, if the
Bunge Share Value falls outside of the collar, the Exchange Ratio will become fixed. If the Bunge
Share Value (as defined below) is equal to or greater than $133.10, then the Exchange
Ratio will be 0.4207, and if the Bunge Share Value is equal to or less than $108.90, then
the Exchange Ratio will be 0.5142. The Bunge Share Value will equal the volume weighted average
of the per share daily closing prices of a Bunge Share on the New York Stock Exchange, as reported
by The Wall Street Journal, for the fifteen consecutive trading days ending on and including the
second trading day prior to the date on which Corn Products stockholder meeting to adopt the
Merger is held. Corn Products stock options and other equity awards will generally convert upon
consummation of the Merger and without any action on the part of the holder into stock options and
equity awards with respect to Bunge Shares, after giving effect to the Exchange Ratio. Cash will be
paid to Corn Products shareholders in lieu of fractional Bunge Shares.
Under the Merger Agreement, upon completion of the Merger, Samuel S. Scott III, Chairman,
President and Chief Executive of Corn Products, will join Bunges board of directors.
The Merger is intended to qualify as a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax
purposes. Accordingly, Corn Products stockholders are not expected to recognize any gain or loss
for U.S. federal income tax purposes on the exchange of shares of Corn Products common stock for
Bunge Shares in the Merger, except with respect to any cash received in lieu of fractional Bunge
Shares.
Corn Products has made customary representations and warranties and covenants in the Merger
Agreement, including, among others (i) to cause a meeting of Corn Products stockholders to be held
to consider the approval of the Merger Agreement, and (ii) subject to certain exceptions, for Corn
Products Board of Directors (the Board) to recommend that Corn Products stockholders adoption
of the Merger Agreement.
The Merger Agreement contains certain termination rights for both Bunge and Corn Products, and
further provides that, upon termination of the Merger Agreement, (i) under certain circumstances,
Corn Products may be obligated to pay Bunge a termination fee of $110 million and, in certain
circumstances, pay Bunges transaction expenses up to $10 million (the amount of any such expenses
paid to be credited against the termination fee if the termination fee subsequently becomes
payable), and (ii) Bunge may be obligated to pay Corn Products, under certain circumstances, Corn
Products transaction expenses up to $10 million.
Consummation of the Merger is subject to customary closing conditions, including (i) requisite
approvals of Corn Products and Bunge stockholders, (ii) effectiveness of the registration statement
for the Bunge Shares to be issued in the Merger, (iii) expiration or termination of the applicable
waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, and
under certain foreign competition laws, (iv) delivery of customary opinions from counsel to Bunge
and Corn Products that the Merger will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for federal income tax
purposes, and (v) the absence of certain legal impediments to the consummation of the Merger.
The foregoing summary of the Merger Agreement, and the transactions contemplated thereby, does not
purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the full text of the
Merger Agreement, which is attached as Exhibit 2.1 hereto and incorporated herein by reference.
The Merger Agreement has been included to provide investors and security holders with information
regarding its terms. It is not intended to provide any other factual information about Corn
Products. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Merger Agreement were made
only for purposes of that agreement and as of specific dates, were solely for the benefit of the
parties to the Merger Agreement, may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting
parties, including being qualified by confidential disclosures made for the purposes of allocating
contractual risk between the parties to the Merger Agreement instead of establishing these matters
as facts, and may be subject to standards of materiality applicable to the contracting parties that
differ from those applicable to investors. Investors are not third-party beneficiaries under the
Merger Agreement and should not rely on the representations, warranties and covenants or any
descriptions thereof as characterizations of the actual state of facts or condition of Corn
Products, Bunge or Sub or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates. Moreover, information
concerning the subject matter of the representations and warranties may change after the date of
the Merger Agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in Corn
Products public disclosures.
Item 8.01. Other Events.
On June 23, 2008, Corn Products issued a joint press release with Bunge announcing that it had
entered into the Merger Agreement. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1
hereto.
On June 23, 2008, the Chief Executive Officer of Corn Products distributed a letter to Corn
Products senior leaders announcing to them the execution of the Merger Agreement. A copy of the
letter is furnished as Exhibit 99.2 hereto.
On June 23, 2008, Corn Products distributed a slide presentation to its employees announcing to
them the execution of the Merger Agreement. A copy of the slide
presentation is furnished as Exhibit 99.3
hereto.
Where You Can Find Additional Information
This communication is not a solicitation of a proxy from any security holder of Bunge or Corn
Products. Bunge plans to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission a Registration Statement
on SEC Form S-4 concerning the proposed merger of Corn Products with a subsidiary of Bunge that
will include a joint proxy statement of Bunge and Corn Products that also constitutes a prospectus
of Bunge. Bunge and Corn Products will mail the joint proxy statement/ prospectus to their
stockholders. WE URGE INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY
OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
Investors and security holders will be able to obtain the documents free of charge at the SECs
website, www.sec.gov. In addition, documents filed with the SEC by Bunge will be available free of
charge from Bunge Limited Investor Relations, 50 Main Street, White Plains, New York 10606,
(914) 684-2800 or from Bunges website, www.bunge.com. Documents filed with the SEC by Corn
Products will be available free of charge from Corn Products International, Inc. Investor
Relations, at 5 Westbrook Corporate Center, Westchester, Illinois 60154-5749 or by calling
708-551-2600 or from the Corn Products website, www.cornproducts.com, under the tab Investors and
then under the heading Financial Reports and then under the item SEC Filings.
Bunge and Corn Products and their respective directors and executive officers and other members of
their management and employees, may be soliciting proxies from Bunge and Corn Products stockholders
in favor of the merger. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be
deemed participants in the solicitation of Bunge and Corn Products stockholders in connection with
the proposed merger will be set forth in the joint proxy statement/prospectus when it is filed with
the SEC. You can find information about Bunges executive officers and directors in its Annual
Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 as well as in its definitive proxy
statement to be filed with the SEC related to Bunges 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. You can
find information about Corn Products executive officers and directors in its Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 as well as in its definitive proxy statement to be filed
with the SEC related to Corn Products 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. You can obtain free
copies of these documents from Bunge and Corn Products using the contact information above. Other
information regarding the participants in a proxy solicitation and a description of their direct
and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the joint proxy
statement/prospectus filed in connection with the proposed transaction.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
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Exhibit |
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No. |
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Description |
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2.1 |
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Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 21, 2008, among Bunge
Limited, Bleecker Acquisition Corp. and Corn Products International, Inc. |
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99.1 |
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Joint Press Release dated June 23, 2008 issued by Corn Products and Bunge. |
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99.2 |
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Letter to employees dated June 23, 2008 from Corn Products. |
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99.3 |
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Slide presentation to employees dated June 23, 2008 from Corn Products. |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
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Date: June 23, 2008 |
CORN PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
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By: |
/s/ Mary Ann Hynes
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Mary Ann Hynes |
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Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate
Secretary |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
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Exhibit |
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No. |
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Description |
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2.1 |
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Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 21, 2008, among Bunge
Limited, Bleecker Acquisition Corp. and Corn Products International, Inc. |
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99.1 |
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Joint Press Release dated June 23, 2008 issued by Corn Products and Bunge. |
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99.2 |
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Letter to employees dated June 23, 2008 from Corn Products. |
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99.3 |
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Slide presentation to employees dated June 23, 2008 from Corn Products. |