Starbucks Corp. announced that it has priced an underwritten public offering of senior notes. The company plans to use the net proceeds from the offering of $400 million of 0.875 percent senior notes due 2016 and $350 million of 2.000 percent senior notes due 2018 to fund a portion of the payment required by the previously announced arbitration award in the Kraft litigation matter. The remaining net proceeds from this offering will be used for general corporate purposes, which may include business expansion, payment of cash dividends on Starbucks common stock, the repurchase of common stock under the company's ongoing share repurchase program, or financing of possible acquisitions. The offering of the notes is expected to close on Dec. 5, 2013, subject to customary closing conditions.
BofA Merrill Lynch, J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley are serving as the joint book-running managers of the offering. The offering is being made under an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Sept. 3, 2013.
