KANSAS CITY — Hostess Brands L.L.C. is seeking $1.225 billion of loans to refinance debt and pay a dividend, according to a July 14 article on Bloomberg.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg indicated the loans include an $825 million first-lien portion and $400 million of second-lien. Credit Suisse Group AG is arranging the financing, with a bank meeting scheduled for July 16, the sources said.
Earlier this month, Dean Metropoulos, chairman of Kansas City-based Hostess Brands L.L.C., told Forbes.com that the company was not considering an initial public offering. In media reports that surfaced earlier on July 7 via Reuters, people familiar with the matter indicated Hostess had turned down offers in recent weeks from other companies and private equity firms that valued it at between $2.4 billion and $2.5 billion, including debt. Instead, the people said Hostess now was planning to borrow money to pay a dividend to its owners and would begin preparations in the coming months for an i.p.o. that the company believes would give it a higher valuation than the acquisition proposals it received.
But in an interview with Forbes, Mr. Metropoulos refuted theReutersreports, saying there are no imminent plans for either a sale or an i.p.o.