Sidley is representing Avantax, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVTA), a leader in tax-focused financial planning and wealth management, in connection with its agreement to be acquired by Aretec Group, Inc. d/b/a Cetera Holdings, the holding company of Cetera, a financial advisor Wealth Hub. Under the terms of the agreement, holders of Avantax common stock will receive US$26.00 in cash per share, without interest and subject to required withholding taxes. The all-cash transaction is valued at approximately US$1.2 billion, inclusive of Avantax’s net debt.
The Sidley deal team is being led by M&A partners Beth E. Berg and Scott R. Williams, and includes David Meehan, Jessica M. Day, Dusty B. Page, and Scott A. Gregus (M&A).
James W. Lowe, Jason C. Semmes, and Edward W. Sharon are leading the Antitrust/Competition team. The Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation team is being led by Gregory A. Marrs and Elizabeth T. Burns, and includes Corey Perry, P.C. Wang, Richard Schneider III, Carolyn L. Ayaub, and Paige Lommerin. The Global Finance team is being led by Kelly M. Dybala and Daniel F. Burkhart. John I. Sakhleh is leading the Securities Enforcement and Regulatory team, which includes Benjamin L. Nager. Stephanie H. Dobecki is leading the Insurance team, which includes Jeremy E. Carroll and Scott J.F. Goldstein. Other team members include Johnny G. Skumpija (Capital Markets); Teresa L. Reuter and Vera M. Iwankiw (Labor and Employment); Colleen Theresa Brown and Michele L. Aronson (Privacy and Cybersecurity); Suresh T. Advani (Tax); and E. Kyle Barnett (Technology and Life Sciences Transactions).
