Kraft Will Merge With Heinz in Deal Backed by 3G and Buffett

Kraft Foods Group Inc. will merge with H.J. Heinz in a deal orchestrated by 3G Capital and Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., creating the third-largest food and beverage company in North America.

Kraft shareholders will receive 49 percent of the stock in the combined entity, plus a cash dividend of $16.50 a share, the companies said in a statement Wednesday. Berkshire and 3G will invest $10 billion in the deal, which values Kraft at about $46 billion, before net debt, based on its stock price Tuesday and the cash payment investors will receive.