Warehouse giant Prologis, a major Amazon landlord, to buy rival Duke Realty in $26 billion deal

Warehouse giant Prologis said Monday that it will acquire its smaller rival Duke Realty in an all-stock deal valued at about $26 billion, including debt, in a vote of confidence for the red hot industrial real estate sector.

The announcement comes after Duke Realty in May rejected a nearly $24 billion buyout offer from Prologis, calling it insufficient.

Prologis shares fell more than 4% in premarket trading Monday after the news. Duke Realty shares rose around 4%.

Prologis controls roughly 1 billion square feet of warehouses and distribution centers used by companies including Amazon, Home Depot and FedEx. Duke Realty owns and operates about 160 million square feet of industrial real estate in 19 major U.S. logistics markets.

Both companies’ boards of directors have unanimously approved the transaction, a press release said.

Under the terms of the agreement, Duke Realty shareholders will receive 0.475x of a Prologis share for each Duke Realty share they own. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

Prologis said the transaction will allow for it to gain properties in key geographies including Southern California, New Jersey, South Florida, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta.

It said it plans to hold 94% of the Duke Realty assets and exit one market.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.