Markets & Finance

Copart agreed on September 10, 2026 to buy digital vehicle auction platform ACV Auctions at $10.50 per share in cash, implying an equity value of approximately $1.9 billion, with Copart planning to fund the purchase from its existing $4.5 billion cash position. The transaction is structured as a tender offer followed by a merger, though the offer had not yet commenced as of September 13, and closing remains subject to majority shareholder tender and HSR antitrust clearance, with a targeted year-end 2026 close. ACV would operate as an independent subsidiary under its current management, and the deal carries a $115.3 million Copart termination fee tied specifically to antitrust-related failure scenarios.

The UK Takeover Panel applied Rule 4.2(c) restrictions to Tulip UK Bidco and its concert parties on 11 September 2026, after Bridgemere Securities sold 22,435,739 Spire Healthcare shares at 245 pence on 8 September without the required Panel consent or 24-hour public notice. The restrictions bar Bidco and concert parties from acquiring further Spire securities and limit any offer revision to exceptional circumstances requiring prior Panel approval. Both Spire and Bidco accepted the ruling, though no review was requested and the offer's ultimate fate remains unresolved in available documents.

Douglas Bergeron's DGB Investment has filed a preliminary proxy statement nominating five directors to Ethan Allen's board and launched an independent CEO search, citing a 5.7% revenue decline and falling earnings in fiscal 2026. Ethan Allen has confirmed receipt of the nominations and will file its own proxy, while a $3.00-per-share special dividend totaling roughly $76 million has become a point of dispute between the two sides. No annual meeting date has been set, no CEO candidate has been named, and the number of board seats being contested has not been formally confirmed.