After a tepid 2.5 years on the stock market, Ari Emanuel and Co. began exploring “strategic alternatives” as recently as Oct. 2023, citing the “continued dislocation between Endeavor’s public market value and the intrinsic value of Endeavor’s underlying assets.”
Endeavor was TKO’d on the stock market.
After an embarrassing withdrawal in late 2019, Ari Emanuel and Co. managed to regroup and take Endeavor public roughly two years later, opening at $24 per share. Fast forward to 2024 and stockholders will receive $27.50 in cash for each share, following a $13 billion buyout from private equity firm Silver Lake. So if you bought 100 shares at the opening bell, your return on investment would be a whopping $350.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was acquired by Endeavor back in summer 2016.
“We believe this transaction will maximize value for all of Endeavor’s public stockholders and are excited to continue to unlock and invest in the growth opportunities ahead as a private company,” Endeavor CEO Ariel Emanuel said in a statement.
UFC and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) merged under TKO Group Holdings late last year, with Endeavor maintaining a 51-percent controlling interest. WWE reached a low point in recent weeks thanks to the Vince McMahon scandal, then rebounded with a blockbuster deal on Netflix. As for UFC, 2023 proved to be another record-breaking year for the promotion’s bottom line, even with this ugly incident and the absence of its biggest star.
TKO is expected to remain a publicly-traded company.