Agnico Eagle Mines Limited acquired Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. (merger of equals) for All-stock merger of equals: 0.7935 Agnico share per Kirkland Lake share; ~209.3 million Agnico shares issued; combined market capitalization ~US$24 billion (Kirkland Lake holders received ~46%, implying ~US$11 billion).
Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold agreed to combine in an all-stock merger of equals, with Kirkland Lake shareholders receiving 0.7935 of an Agnico share per Kirkland share and the combined company keeping the Agnico Eagle name. The deal implied a combined market capitalization of about US$24 billion, with legacy Agnico and Kirkland holders owning roughly 54% and 46%. It brought Kirkland's Detour Lake and Macassa mines in Ontario and the high-grade Fosterville mine in Australia into Agnico. The merger completed on February 8, 2022, with about 209.3 million Agnico shares issued to former Kirkland holders.
Management cast the combination as a 'strength-on-strength' deal creating the gold industry's highest-quality senior producer, consolidating the Abitibi-Kirkland Lake corridor and positioning the company as a 'true Canadian mining champion' amid expected industry consolidation.
This merger starts a new chapter in Agnico Eagle's 64-year history and creates the leading low risk global gold company with growing production, low costs and strong ESG leadership. The transaction creates a company with a strong platform of people, assets and financial resources to continue to build and operate a long term sustainable and self funding business... with this transaction we are well positioned to take advantage of high-quality opportunities and be a true Canadian mining champion.
Advisory firms were not disclosed for this transaction.