Investors were rocked by a big surprise on Friday morning, as e-commerce giant Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) announced that it plans to buy organic grocery chain Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ:WFM) in a massive deal worth nearly $14 billion.
In its official press release, Amazon said that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Whole Foods, under which Amazon will buy the grocer for $42 per share—a 27% premium to Whole Foods’ closing price on Thursday (also read: Amazon Scoops Up Whole Foods in $13.7 Billion Deal).
As one would expect, shares of Whole Foods immediately skyrocketed. Amazon shares gained about 3%, and the company tacked on another $10 billion in market cap in the wake of its announcement. Investors are clearly excited about the deal, which is expected to close in the second half of the year.
But will it be that simple? The merger will, of course, be subject to a stringent regulatory approval process, and that could pose problems for Amazon as consumers grow increasingly aware of its dominance throughout the shopping world—especially considering the relationship between President Donald Trump and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.
Simply put, it would probably be fair to say that Bezos and Trump don’t like each other. Outside of Amazon, Bezos owns the Washington Post—a publication that has been a leader in the public reporting of the Trump-Russia investigation.
And interestingly enough, Trump has explicitly challenged Bezos in the past. In an interview with Sean Hannity during the campaign last year, Trump targeted Bezos and Amazon, saying that the e-commerce company has a “huge antitrust problem.”
“He thinks I'll go after him for antitrust,” Trump said. “Because he's got a huge antitrust problem because he's controlling so much, Amazon is controlling so much of what they are doing.”
"He's using The Washington Post, which is peanuts, he's using that for political purposes to save Amazon in terms of taxes and in terms of antitrust."
Trump also noted that he thinks Amazon is “getting away with murder, tax-wise” and described the Washington Post as being owned “as a toy by Jeff Bezos.”
Nevertheless, Trump and Bezos have been civil since the election. In December, Trump hosted a meeting with several tech industry leaders at the Trump Tower. Not only was Bezos in attendance for that meeting, but he’s also been invited to a similar upcoming meeting at the White House.
Trump has also been relatively pro-merger since taking office. For example, the president tapped Makan Delrahim to lead the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. Delrahim is a well-regarded lawyer who is expected to be more sympathetic to mergers.
Given their history, it will be interesting to see what Trump says about the Amazon-Whole Foods deal, and the merger will definitely encounter a long, detailed regulatory process. But will the personal animosity between Trump and Bezos have an effect? It seems unlikely.
For more of this week’s top news stories, check out the latest episode of the Zacks Friday Finish Line podcast:
Want more stock market analysis from this author? Make sure to follow @Ryan_McQueeney on Twitter!
3 Top Picks to Ride the Hottest Tech Trend
Zacks just released a Special Report to guide you through a space that has already begun to transform our entire economy...
Last year, it was generating $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for those who make the right trades early. Download Report with 3 Top Tech Stocks >>
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report
Whole Foods Market, Inc. (WFM): Free Stock Analysis Report
Original post
Zacks Investment Research