6 Biggest Foreign Acquisitions Of American Companies In History

U.K. company Reckitt Benckiser Group plc has delivered the largest M&A deal so far in 2017 by announcing a $19 billion buyout of U.S. company Mead Johnson Nutrition CO (NYSE: MJN). According to CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla, the Mead Johnson buyout is the fourth-largest foreign buyout of a U.S. consumer staples company in history.

The U.K. is certainly not the only country to splurge on U.S. assets in recent years. In 2016, Chinese companies bought out more than 100 American companies, dishing out a total of more than $60 billion dollars. The 2016 total marks the sixth time in the last seven years that China has taken over at least 100 U.S. companies in a single year. Buyers in recent years include names like China National Chemical Corp, China Investment Corp and others.

6 Of The Largest Foreign Buyouts

Here’s a look at the six largest foreign buyouts of U.S. companies.

• 1. British American Tobacco PLC (ADR) (NYSE: BTI) (United Kingdom) buys Reynolds American, Inc. (NYSE: RAI) for $49 billion (2017).
  2. InBev Inc. (Belgium) buys Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. for $52 billion to form Anheuser Busch Inbev NV (ADR) (NYSE: BUD) (2008).
  3. BP plc (ADR) (NYSE: BP) (United Kingdom) buys Amaco for $53 billion (1998).
  4. Vodaphone Group Plc (ADR) (NASDAQ: VOD) (United Kingdom) buys AirTouch Communications for $60 billion (1999).
  5. Bayer AG (ADR) (OTC: BAYRY) (Germany) buys Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) for $66 billion (2016).
  6. Actavis (Ireland) buys Allergan plc Ordinary Shares (NYSE: AGN) for $70.5 billion (2015).