SFTBY - SoftBank could go private through gradual buybacks - Bloomberg

Bloomberg sources say SoftBank ([[SFTBF]],[[SFTBY]]) head Masayoshi Son could take the company private by buying back enough shares to have the leverage to push out the other remaining investors.Son wouldn't buy shares but his ownership stake of 27% would grow as other investors sold their stakes. When Son reaches 66%, he can ask other shareholders to sell.The "slow-burn" strategy could take more than a year and would require SoftBank to continue its asset sales to fund buybacks.SoftBank would be able to buy shares during dips instead of paying a premium, as would be the case in a formal buyout.Early this year, SoftBank reported a record annual operating loss due to write-offs of its WeWork and Uber investments.The company then launched a $43B asset sale and buyback program.SoftBank offloaded some of its stakes in Alibaba, T-Mobile, and some shares of the SoftBank Group telecommunications unit. The company sold its chip unit Arm to Nvidia

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SoftBank could go private through gradual buybacks - Bloomberg