Bertelsmann Completes Its Share Increase at Penguin Random House to 75 Percent
The international media, services and education company Bertelsmann now owns a strategic three-quarters majority of Penguin Random House. The two shareholders of the world's biggest trade publishing group – Bertelsmann, and the British global education company Pearson – agreed on a new ownership structure in July: Now that the transaction has closed, Bertelsmann holds 75 percent of the book group; Pearson 25 percent. Penguin Random House’s enterprise value was set at $3.55 billion for the purposes of the share increase. Thomas Rabe, Chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann, said: "Bertelsmann has the widest range of creative products of any company worldwide – and the book business has served as a core part of our identity for more than 180 years. Accordingly, today marks a strategic milestone for us in several respects. First, the three-quarters majority in Penguin Random House will increase the profit share of Bertelsmann's shareholders by more than 60 million euros. Second, we now have the ideal prerequisites for developing Penguin Random House – already number one in the book world – with a view to the long term and in continuity. And third, we now own strategic majorities in all of Bertelsmann's corporate divisions: 75 percent of RTL Group and Penguin Random House; 100 percent of all other divisions.” Click Read More below for additional detail.