Boardriders Inc to buy Australia's Billabong for about $155 million

(Reuters) - Sports apparel seller Billabong International Ltd said on Friday it had entered an agreement with Boardriders Inc for the U.S.-based firm to buy the Australian company for about A$197.7 million ($155 million).

The bid of A$1 per share made by Boardriders, formerly known as Quiksilver, represents a premium of 4.2 percent to Billabong's closing price on Thursday and a 28.2 percent premium to the stock price before the offer was announced on Dec. 1, 2017.

Billabong directors unanimously recommended the agreement, the company said in a statement, fulfilling one of the conditions of Boardriders' offer.

"While Billabong has made significant operational progress in recent years, the board is also mindful of the fact that, in the absence of the scheme, Billabong shareholders face ongoing risks and uncertainties associated with the business," Billabong Chairman Ian Pollard said.

Billabong's brands include RVCA, Element and Von Zipper.

U.S. private equity firm Oaktree Capital Management LP holds a 19 percent stake in Billabong and is one of its two senior lenders. Funds managed by Oaktree also have a majority interest in Boardriders.

Oaktree was not immediately available for comment.

($1 = 1.2716 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Aaron Saldanha in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen Coates)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)