NEW YORK — Del Monte Foods Co. on Thursday agreed to be bought for $4 billion in cash by a group of investors that includes its former owner in what would be the biggest private equity deals of the year. An investor group led by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. — which briefly owned Del Monte — Vestar Capital Partners and Centerview Partners agreed to buy the food maker for $19 per share. They will also assume $1.3 billion in debt.
The purchase price is a 6 percent premium to the stock’s closing price on Wednesday, though the stock has soared recently on published reports about a possible buyout. The stock is up 59 percent since the beginning of the year, including a 12 percent jump on Nov. 18 when rumors of the deal surfaced.
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