, Columnist
A Botched Meeting
Investors don't appear to have been prepared for Informa's takeover of UBM.
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As conference get-togethers go, this one should have come as no surprise. The idea of mashing together Informa Plc and UBM plc is an old chestnut in M&A. The stunned reaction to the deal suggests investors in both companies saw things differently.
Informa shares tanked on Wednesday after the event organizer announced a 3.8 billion-pound ($5.3 billion) preliminary cash-and-stock takeover of UBM.