Control premium is an amount that a buyer is usually willing to pay over the current market price of a company. This premium is justified by the expected synergies, such as the expected increase in cash flow resulting from cost savings and revenue enhancements achievable in the merger. Normally, the control premium is industry-specific and amounts to 20?30% of the market price.
Example
Company XYZ has 1,000,000 shares outstanding. The current market price per share is $1. To buy control, an acquirer usually needs to consolidate more than 50% of the shares. Say, the buyer wants to acquire 60% of the stock. The market price will be 600,000 * $1.00 = $600,000. However, the buyer estimates that he will be able to realize 25%-synergy, so the maximum price he is willing to pay is $600,000 * (1 + 25%) = $750,000
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