• The poison pill is a defensive tactic used by listed companies to deter activist investors or acquirers from creating large blocks of shares or staging takeovers without the consent of the board of directors and without paying a premium to all shareholders.

  • Poison pills determine the maximum share a shareholder can accumulate and dilute the assets of those who exceed the limit by issuing additional shares at a significant discount or free of charge to other shareholders.
  • Since poison pills can strengthen the position of company managers and boards of directors, companies must be able to demonstrate that they are an adequate response to a real threat.
  • Investors who fail to convince the company to drop their poison pill still have the option to convince shareholders to change the board of directors.