Glass Lewis Recommends GFI Shareholders Vote Against "Flawed and Conflicted" Merger With CME
NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- BGC Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: BGCP) ("BGC Partners," "the Company," or "BGC"), a leading global brokerage company primarily servicing the financial and real estate markets, today announced that Glass, Lewis & Co., LLC ("Glass Lewis"), a leading independent proxy advisory service, has recommended that shareholders of GFI Group Inc. (NYSE: GFIG) ("GFI Group" or "GFI") vote AGAINST the merger agreement with CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CME) ("CME") at the special meeting of GFI shareholders scheduled for January 27, 2015.
Howard Lutnick, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BGC, said: "We are pleased that, after thorough and independent analysis, Glass Lewis recognizes the 'flawed and conflicted' nature of the proposed CME-GFI management $5.85 stock and cash transaction.
"We continue to be fully committed to completing our tender offer and urge shareholders to protect the value of their investment in GFI by voting against all of the proposals related to the CME transaction at the special meeting of GFI shareholders. We also remind GFI shareholders to tender their shares into our clearly superior offer in order to receive the higher value to which they are entitled."
In its analysis, Glass Lewis noted the following regarding the proposed CME transaction: "...In hindsight, it seems readily apparent the GFI board's flawed and conflicted process failed to extract any significant semblance of maximum value or a favorable price, and further failed to fully incorporate those bidders willing to offer decidedly greater value to GFI investors..."
Additionally Glass Lewis observed: "...We believe the sum of these factors overwhelmingly suggest investors should have little -- if, truly, any -- confidence the present arrangement represents, within reasonable doubt, the most attractive value available to GFI and its shareholders..."
As previously announced, BGC has also filed a proxy statement with a GOLD proxy card with the SEC in order to solicit votes against the inferior CME transaction at the January 27, 2015 GFI special meeting. GFI shareholders can vote against this transaction by returning the GOLD proxy card from BGC or by voting "against" using the materials provided by GFI.
Stockholders with questions about how to vote or tender their shares may call Innisfree M&A Incorporated, BGC's proxy solicitor and Information Agent, toll-free at (888) 750-5884.
BGC's financial advisor and dealer manager for the tender offer is Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and its legal advisor is Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
About BGC Partners, Inc.
BGC Partners is a leading global brokerage company servicing the financial and real estate markets. Products include fixed income securities, interest rate swaps, foreign exchange, equities, equity derivatives, credit derivatives, commercial real estate, commodities, futures, and structured products. BGC also provides a wide range of services, including trade execution, broker-dealer services, clearing, processing, information, and other back-office services to a broad range of financial and non-financial institutions. Through its BGC Trader and BGC Market Data brands, BGC offers financial technology solutions, market data, and analytics related to numerous financial instruments and markets. Through the Newmark Grubb Knight Frank brand, BGC offers a wide range of commercial real estate services including leasing and corporate advisory, investment sales and financial services, consulting, project and development management, and property and facilities management. BGC's customers include many of the world's largest banks, broker-dealers, investment banks, trading firms, hedge funds, governments, corporations, property owners, real estate developers, and investment firms. BGC's common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol (NASDAQ: BGCP). BGC also has an outstanding bond issuance of Senior Notes due June 15, 2042, which trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol (NYSE: BGCA). BGC Partners is led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Howard W. Lutnick. For more information, please visit http://www.bgcpartners.com.
BGC, BGC Trader, Newmark, Grubb & Ellis, and Grubb are trademarks and service marks of BGC Partners, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Knight Frank is a service mark of Knight Frank (Nominees) Limited.
Important Additional Information
This communication is provided for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any shares of the common stock of GFI Group Inc. ("GFI") or any other securities. BGC Partners, Inc. and its subsidiary BGC Partners, L.P. have commenced a tender offer for all outstanding shares of common stock of GFI and have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") a tender offer statement on Schedule TO (including an Offer to Purchase, a Letter of Transmittal and related documents). These documents, as they may be amended from time to time, contain important information, including the terms and conditions of the tender offer, and shareholders of GFI are advised to carefully read these documents before making any decision with respect to the tender offer.
BGC has filed a proxy statement and relevant documents in connection with the special meeting of the stockholders of GFI at which the GFI stockholders will consider certain proposals regarding the potential acquisition of GFI by CME Group Inc. (the "Special Meeting Proposals"). BGC and its directors and executive officers and other members of its management and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from GFI's stockholders in connection with the Special Meeting Proposals. STOCKHOLDERS OF GFI GROUP ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of the proxy statement (when available) and other documents filed with respect to the tender offer at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. These materials are also available to GFI Group security holders at no expense to them at http://ir.bgcpartners.com or by calling BGC Partners' information agent, Innisfree M&A Incorporated, toll-free at (888) 750-5884.
Discussion of Forward-Looking Statements by BGC Partners
Statements in this document regarding BGC Partners' business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. Except as required by law, BGC undertakes no obligation to release any revisions to any forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see BGC's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including, but not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the Company's public filings, including BGC's most recent Form 10-K and any updates to such risk factors contained in subsequent Form 10-Q or Form 8-K filings.
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SOURCE BGC Partners, Inc.
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