The board of Universal Music Group has rejected an unsolicited $64 billion takeover offer from Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital, the company announced on Friday. The move comes a day after key shareholder Vincent Bollore urged UMG to reject the offer.
The “Board of Directors has unanimously determined that the unsolicited and non-binding proposal it received from Pershing Square Capital Management, L.P. on April 7, 2026, is not in the best interests of UMG, its shareholders, artists, songwriters, employees and other stakeholders,” the announcement reads in part.
“The Board has taken the time to fully assess the proposal submitted by Pershing Square,” it continues. “After careful review with the assistance of outside financial and legal advisors, the Board has rejected the proposal because it fundamentally and materially undervalues UMG and will not deliver superior value creation. The Board has heard from many of UMG’s shareholders and other stakeholders and believes there is a strong consensus supporting the Board’s decision.”
The offer included about $10.9 billion in cash, plus additional stock that pushes the total consideration to about $35 a share.
Pershing Square said that UMG’s stock has been undervalued because of uncertainty around the company’s ownership structure and around UMG’s stake in Spotify, and by the company’s delay of its planned stock listing in the U.S. Ackman previously struck an agreement with the company last year to establish a secondary listing in the U.S. in addition to its primary home on the Euronext Amsterdam listing.
