Financially troubled Beverly Enterprises agreed to provide...

Financially troubled Beverly Enterprises agreed to provide takeover specialist David H. Murdock access to confidential corporate information in exchange for a promise that Murdock will not make a hostile bid for the nursing home chain in the next 15 months. Under the pact, the only way Murdock can acquire the chain anytime before March 31, 1990, is if he first makes the proposal to Beverly’s board and then offers to buy all of its stock, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Murdock, chairman of Castle & Cooke Inc. in Los Angeles and the holder of a 6.5% stake in Pasadena-based Beverly, also is prohibited from soliciting proxies or inducing anyone else to initiate a tender offer. In a previous SEC filing, Murdock said he considers his Beverly stake “an attractive investment” and he expressed support for management. Murdock could not be reached for comment Thursday.