Ownership profile
Who owns JBL?
JBL is a brand owned by Harman International Industries, which has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics — a publicly traded South Korean conglomerate — since March 2017; there is no private equity involvement.
Ownership profile
JBL
Harman International Industries, Incorporated
Evidence (7)
JBL is a brand operated by Harman International Industries, its direct parent since 1969
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JBLThe JBL trademark is registered to Harman International Industries, Incorporated with the USPTO
https://trademarks.justia.com/owners/harman-international-industries-incorporated-2452041HARMAN is confirmed as a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., and JBL is explicitly listed among HARMAN's iconic audio brands on HARMAN's own newsroom
https://news.jbl.com/en-CEU/about/On March 10, 2017, Samsung completed its acquisition of Harman International; Harman became a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/800459/000119312517078968/d184457d8k.htmSamsung acquired Harman for approximately $8.0 billion in cash ($112.00 per share); Harman's common stock was delisted from the NYSE upon closing
https://news.harman.com/releases/samsung-electronics-completes-acquisition-of-harmanSamsung Electronics America, Inc. acquired 100% ownership of Harman International Industries as disclosed in Samsung's own investor relations disclosures
https://www.samsung.com/global/ir/reports-disclosures/public-disclosure-view.70706/Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. trades on the Korea Exchange (KRX: 005930) and is a publicly listed corporation, not a private equity fund
https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-electronics-completes-acquisition-of-harmanWhat's uncertain
- No private equity involvement was found at any level of the ownership chain (JBL → Harman International → Samsung Electronics America → Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.). Samsung Electronics is a publicly traded conglomerate, not a PE fund.
- Harman International was formerly publicly traded on the NYSE but was fully delisted and taken private (as a corporate subsidiary) upon completion of the Samsung acquisition on March 13, 2017.
- The acquisition was reviewed and cleared by CFIUS in February 2017 prior to closing.
- No independent check of Samsung Electronics' current ownership structure for any recent changes (e.g., partial divestiture of Harman) was conducted; the corporate structure has been stable since 2017 and no credible news of a change was found.