Tender Offer

A proposal to buy shares of stock from the stockholders of a corporation, made by a group or company that desires to obtain control of the corporation.

A tender offer to purchase may be for cash or some type of corporate security of the acquiring company—for example, stock, warrants, or debentures. Such an offer is sometimes subject to either a minimum or maximum that the offeror will accept and is communicated to the stockholders through newspaper advertisements or a general mailing to the complete list of stockholders. Tender offers are subject to regulations by state and federal SECURITIES laws, such as the WILLIAMS ACT (15 U.S.C.A. § 78a et seq.).