Jones Day advised placement agents on a $739 million share offering for Brazilian food producer Marfrig that allowed development bank BNDES to cash out of its 34% stake in the world's second-biggest beef processor.

The Jones Day counsel to Santander, Bradesco, JPMorgan Chase, Banco do Brasil and Jefferies was led by New York-based partner Rory Hood, together with partners Wade Angus and Marcello Hallake, who both work from São Paulo and New York.

Marfrig has provided steady work for Jones Day over the years. As recently as August, the firm represented underwriters in the company's $500 million debt offering, and in May Jones Day advised an international syndicate of banks on a $1 billion notes offering by Marfrig.

Brazilian firms Lefosse and Pinheiro Neto Advogados also have worked a number of Marfrig deals throughout the years. It was not immediately clear which other firms may have advised on the most recent Marfrig offering, which closed Dec. 20.

Jones Day said the December transaction is expected to be the first of a series of significant divestments by Brazilian state-owned development bank BNDES.

BNDES announced earlier in 2019 that it was eyeing the sale of more than $6.6 billion of listed assets. The BNDES divestment plan is part of president Jair Bolsonaro's plan to shrink the state's role in the economy. The development bank is also reportedly looking to sell almost half of its stake in pork and poultry giant JBS—a company that engaged in talks during 2019 to merge with Marfrig.

The primary offering generated net proceeds of approximately $220 million, and the secondary offering generated net proceeds of approximately $519 million. Marfrig will use the net proceeds from the primary offering to prepay debt; the company did not receive any proceeds from the secondary offering.

Marfrig is a leading Brazilian corporation in the global protein industry for the production, processing, sale and distribution of meats and other food products. The meatpacker raised its exposure to the U.S. market in November, paying $860 million to increase to 81% its stake in Kansas City, Missouri-based National Beef Co.