Zayo responds to activist investor requests for sale

BOULDER — Zayo Group Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ZAYO) has responded to activist investor requests that the telecom company consider a sale, saying it welcomes the views of shareholders and is in active dialogue with many of its top investors.

Zayo issued the response in a letter, which was spurred by a letter sent by Starboard Value LP, an activist hedge fund with 4 percent stake in Zayo.

Starboard said it saw a sale as the best option for shareholders if it were done in a “purely objective way” that excluded possible conflicts of interest such as possible roles for executives and management.

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On Wednesday, Zayo postponed indefinitely its Analyst Day, which was scheduled for March 14. The decision to postpone was to allow the board of directors and management team “time to evaluate strategic alternatives that may enhance shareholder value,” according to its letter. Zayo’s board consists of nine members, eight of whom are independent. The effort is being led by an independent director, Yancey Spruill.

“The Zayo Board and management team take their fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders seriously,” the letter concluded. “This includes actively considering and evaluating opportunities to enhance shareholder value, including an assessment of the company’s strategic priorities and opportunities, such as potential partnerships, business combinations and other transactions. We are objectively evaluating all options that will further this goal, while at the same time remaining focused on our mission to provide communications infrastructure to the world’s most impactful companies.”

At time of publication, Zayo’s stock price was $27.56. Over the week, its stock price has been increasing. On March 5, its stock closed at $24.40. Its price is currently at a month-long high.