AMC Stock Soars as Hearing Risks Delaying APE Conversion

  • Gap between two classes of shares is largest since December
  • Investors are slated to vote on string of proposals March 14

An AMC movie theater in the Times Square neighborhood of New York.

Photographer: Amir Hamja/Bloomberg
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AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. common stock surged 23% after a Delaware court said it will hold a preliminary injunction hearing on April 27, signaling a highly anticipated conversion between the shares and preferred units may take longer than expected.

The movie-theater operator has been pushing for a shake-up to its share structure that would convert preferred shares — ticker APE — into AMC common stock this month. However, the April hearing is considered a headwind by risk arbitrage traders looking to capitalizeBloomberg Terminal on the spread because it creates uncertainty around the timing of the one-for-one swap.