Playboy announces share buyback of 16.6 million shares from Fortress, enhancing EPS and maintaining balance sheet flexibility.
Quiver AI Summary
Playboy, Inc. has announced a definitive agreement to repurchase approximately 16.6 million shares of its common stock, representing nearly 15% of its outstanding shares, from Fortress Investment Group at a fixed price of $1.05 per share, totaling around $17.4 million. The repurchase is designed to enhance shareholder value and is immediately accretive to earnings per share. Playboy has structured the payment into an initial $2 million with the remainder to be paid in installments through the end of 2026. The transaction is supported by commitments from major stockholders, ensuring financial flexibility. CEO Ben Kohn emphasized the company's strong operational performance, including five consecutive quarters of positive adjusted EBITDA, and the strategic nature of this buyback as a way to highlight Playboy's intrinsic value compared to its current stock price.
Potential Positives
- Repurchase of nearly 15% of outstanding shares represents a significant reduction in share count, which can increase earnings per share (EPS) immediately.
- The transaction is structured with a negotiated payment schedule, preserving balance sheet flexibility and showing responsible financial management.
- Backstopping the remaining purchase price with commitments from major stockholders indicates strong support and confidence in the company's future from key investors.
- The agreement allows for an orderly exit for Fortress, minimizing potential market disruptions and ensuring stability for shareholders.
Potential Negatives
- The reliance on commitments from the company's two largest stockholders to fund the remaining purchase price raises concerns about financial stability and reliance on external support.
- There are significant risks associated with the company's ability to fund and complete the scheduled repurchase payments, which could negatively impact its capital structure.
- The transaction does not guarantee an increase in shareholder value, as it is contingent on a number of uncertain factors outlined in the forward-looking statements, including the potential failure to achieve anticipated benefits and maintain listing on Nasdaq.
FAQ
What is the recent share repurchase agreement by Playboy?
Playboy announced a deal to repurchase approximately 16.6 million shares from Fortress Investment Group for $1.05 each.
How much of Playboy's outstanding shares does the buyback represent?
The repurchase represents nearly 15% of Playboy's total outstanding shares.
How will Playboy finance the share repurchase?
Playboy will use cash from its balance sheet and has commitments from major stockholders to backstop the remaining payment.
What are the expected benefits of this transaction for shareholders?
The share repurchase is anticipated to be immediately accretive to earnings per share, enhancing shareholder value.
When will the remaining payments for the repurchase be made?
The remaining $15.4 million will be paid in three scheduled installments through December 31, 2026.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.
$PLBY Insider Trading Activity
$PLBY insiders have traded $PLBY stock on the open market 15 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 15 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $PLBY stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
- BERNHARD L III KOHN (CEO & President) has made 0 purchases and 6 sales selling 450,686 shares for an estimated $671,327.
- CHRISTOPHER RILEY (General Counsel & Secretary) has made 0 purchases and 3 sales selling 190,486 shares for an estimated $336,301.
- MARC CROSSMAN (CFO & COO) sold 104,035 shares for an estimated $172,843
- TRACEY E EDMONDS has made 0 purchases and 5 sales selling 86,257 shares for an estimated $108,754.
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.
$PLBY Revenue
$PLBY had revenues of $30.2M in Q1 2026. This is an increase of 4.71% from the same period in the prior year.
You can track PLBY financials on Quiver Quantitative's PLBY stock page.
You can access data on PLBY stock through the Quiver Quantitative API.
$PLBY Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 44 institutional investors add shares of $PLBY stock to their portfolio, and 35 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
- MARSHALL WACE, LLP added 1,191,259 shares (+191.6%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $1,810,713
- MILLENNIUM MANAGEMENT LLC added 931,883 shares (+498.1%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $1,416,462
- JANE STREET GROUP, LLC removed 705,658 shares (-88.5%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $1,072,600
- CRCM LP added 656,065 shares (+17.8%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $997,218
- MORGAN STANLEY removed 404,707 shares (-68.4%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $615,154
- SEI INVESTMENTS CO added 379,790 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $577,280
- CITADEL ADVISORS LLC removed 340,678 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $517,830
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.
Full Release
Opportunistic Buyback of Fortress’s Entire Position Represents Nearly 15% of Outstanding Shares
Negotiated Payment Schedule Through Year End Preserves Balance Sheet Flexibility and is Immediately Accretive to EPS
Remaining Purchase Price is Backstopped through Commitments from Rizvi Traverse and Byborg
LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Playboy, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLBY) (the “Company” or “Playboy”), a global pleasure and leisure company, today announced that, on June 18, 2026, it entered into a definitive agreement to repurchase approximately 16.6 million shares of its common stock — the entire equity position held by funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group (“Fortress”) — at a fixed price of $1.05 per share, for total consideration of approximately $17.4 million.
Ben Kohn, CEO of Playboy, said: “We have one of the largest and most valuable brands in the world and one that would be nearly impossible to replicate today. We have continued to improve operating performance with five consecutive quarters of positive adjusted EBITDA, have a clear plan to drive meaningful growth moving forward through our four revenue lines. We believe the intrinsic value of the Company is considerably higher than today’s price and therefore this was an extremely compelling capital opportunity, and we moved decisively to seize it. In one privately negotiated transaction, we have agreed to repurchase nearly 15% of our total shares outstanding at a meaningful discount to today’s market value. The transaction is immediately accretive to earnings per share.”
“We funded the first purchase with cash from our balance sheet, and based on operating performance plan to use cash from our balance sheet as well as other financing means to fund the balance. In addition, the deal is fully backstopped with commitments from our two largest stockholders, and I am thankful for their continued support of the Company.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Playboy paid $2.0 million at execution and will pay the remaining approximately $15.4 million in three scheduled installments through December 31, 2026, at a fixed price of $1.05 per share. The Company may accelerate purchases at any time at its discretion. During the term of the agreement, Fortress has agreed not to sell, transfer, or otherwise dispose of the shares subject to the agreement. The agreement is fully backstopped by an affiliate of Rizvi Traverse Management, LLC and The Million S.a.r.l. (an affiliate of Byborg Enterprises SA), who have agreed to purchase the shares directly from Fortress, pro rata based on their current Playboy stockholdings, to the extent the Company does not.
Fortress’s decision to sell the shares does not impact Playboy’s business, strategy or prospects. The negotiated structure provides Fortress with a certain and efficient exit for a position of this scale, while eliminating the risk and impact of the 16.6 million shares being sold on the open market.
Mr. Kohn continued: “This agreement is a win for both sides. Together we structured a transaction that gives Fortress a clean, orderly exit while delivering extraordinary value to our shareholders. We thank the Fortress team for their years of partnership and support.”
The transaction follows a recent cadence of operational execution by the Company — including 5 consecutive quarters of positive adjusted EBITDA, the Byborg licensing deal, the landmark China joint venture with United Trademark Group and the accelerated paydown of senior debt — that have strengthened Playboy’s operating performance and balance sheet and positioned the Company to create value for shareholders.
About Playboy, Inc.
Playboy (Nasdaq: PLBY) is a global pleasure and leisure company, built on one of the most globally recognized brands. By leveraging its iconic intellectual property, Playboy pursues an asset-light model across licensing, digital content, consumer products and experiential offerings, helping consumers worldwide to live more fulfilling lives. To learn more, please visit https://investors.playboy.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company’s actual results may differ from their expectations, estimates, and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as “expect”, “estimate”, “project”, “budget”, “forecast”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “may”, “will”, “could”, “should”, “believes”, “predicts”, “potential”, “continue”, and similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company’s expectations with respect to the share repurchase transaction described herein, including the Company’s ability to fund and complete the scheduled installment payments, the expected sources of funding, the net impact on outstanding shares, and the expected benefits of the transaction to shareholders.
These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) risks related to the Company’s ability to fund and complete the scheduled repurchase payments; (2) the risk that the stockholders providing the backstop will fail to fund and complete the scheduled repurchase payments; (3) the inability to maintain the listing of the Company’s shares of common stock on Nasdaq; (4) the risk that the Company’s completed or proposed transactions disrupt the Company’s current plans and/or operations, including the risk that the Company does not complete any such proposed transactions or achieve the expected benefits from any transactions; (5) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of corporate transactions, commercial collaborations, cost reduction initiatives and proposed transactions, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of the Company to grow and manage growth profitably, and the Company’s ability to retain its key employees; (6) costs related to being a public company, corporate transactions, commercial collaborations and proposed transactions; (7) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (8) the possibility that the Company may be adversely affected by global hostilities, supply chain delays, inflation, interest rates, tariffs, foreign currency exchange rates or other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; (9) risks relating to the uncertainty of the projected financial information of the Company, including changes in the Company’s estimates of cash flows and the fair value of certain of its intangible assets, including goodwill; (10) risks related to the organic and inorganic growth of the Company’s businesses, and the timing of expected business milestones; (11) changing demand or shopping patterns for the Company’s products and services; (12) failure of licensees, suppliers or other third-parties to fulfill their obligations to the Company; (13) the Company’s high concentration of licensing revenue from a small number of licensees; (14) the Company’s ability to comply with the terms of its indebtedness and other obligations; (15) changes in financing markets or the inability of the Company to obtain financing on attractive terms; and (16) other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, including those under “Risk Factors” therein, and in the Company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive, and readers should not place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date which they were made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
Investor Relations Contact
Lucas A. Zimmerman
Managing Director
MZ Group – MZ North America
+1 (949) 259-4987
[email protected]