CHARLOTTE – C.H. Robinson has agreed to acquire Charlotte-based RXO in a stock-and-cash transaction valued at $5.8 billion, a deal that would fold the Fortune 1000 logistics company into a larger North American freight platform.
Under the agreement announced Oct. 4 and filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Oct. 5, RXO shareholders would receive $17.25 in cash and 0.0856 of a C.H. Robinson share for each RXO share. The companies said the mix implied a value of $30.25 per RXO share based on C.H. Robinson’s 16-day volume-weighted average price as of Oct. 2, a 29% premium to RXO’s Oct. 2 closing price.
RXO shareholders are expected to own about 11% of the combined company after closing. The companies put the combined enterprise value above $25 billion and said the transaction would join two large asset-light freight and logistics networks.
C.H. Robinson said it expects to integrate RXO primarily into its North American Surface Transportation segment. The companies project about $300 million in net annual run-rate cost synergies within two years after closing, though those savings are estimates and have not yet been realized.
The buyer has obtained a $4.5 billion bridge-financing commitment to fund the cash portion of the transaction and refinance certain debt. The filing says the deal has been approved unanimously by both boards.
The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to RXO shareholder approval, regulatory clearances and other customary conditions. Until those conditions are met, the acquisition remains pending and the companies continue to operate separately.
Reuters reported that RXO shares rose about 22% and C.H. Robinson shares fell about 13% after the deal was announced, reflecting sharply different investor reactions to the premium and financing needs.
For North Carolina, the central business consequence is a proposed transfer of control of a Charlotte-headquartered public logistics company. The filing and announcement do not specify Charlotte job reductions, an office closure or a new local investment, so those outcomes should not be assumed.