Entu fully booked for IPO: “We’re very profitable and we’ve got a lot of cash” – CEO Ian Blackhurst October 16, 2014 Good companies find backers even in soured markets Energy efficiency and home improvement group Entu is set to float on London’s Alternative Investment Market later this month in a rare fully subscribed debut, valuing the business at £65.6m. Entu, which emerged out of the common ownership of three holding companies HI Sales, JWD [...]
Aldermore IPO flops as market flattens but Virgin Money pushes ahead with flotation plans October 15, 2014 Aldermore's advisers approached investors with a cut-price offer in a last- ditch bid to save the challenger bank’s stock market float, but failed to pick up enough sales, City A.M. understands. The firm pulled its initial public offering (IPO) yesterday, blaming “the recent deterioration of global equity markets”. The bank approached the IPO [...]
Aldermore IPO cancelled: Sadly, we got it right – Editor’s Letter October 15, 2014 After days of fending off suggestions that its £800m flotation was in trouble, the challenger small business bank Aldermore finally succumbed to the inevitable yesterday. The decision to call off the Initial Public Offering (IPO) is a pity for Aldermore and for the market as a whole. London’s IPO market performed tremendously well during the [...]
As the Aldermore flotation falls through, is the IPO market showing signs of collapse? October 15, 2014 John West, equity capital markets editor at Dealreporter, says Yes. Institutional investors started 2014 hungry for European initial public offerings (IPOs) – even at full valuations. Not any more. Yesterday, the VDAX-NEW volatility index hit a two-year high above 26 – well outside the 15-20 sweet spot in which bankers ideally place new stock. IPOs [...]
Aldermore IPO decision shows how little appetite there is from anything but exceptional unlisted companies October 15, 2014 The decision by advisers to Aldermore, the lender to small businesses, to pull its flotation is the most high profile collapse in the new issues market this year, reflecting widespread concerns that there is little appetite left in London market for anything but exceptional unlisted companies who wish to raise new funds. The group, [...]
Aldermore pulls IPO citing “deteriorating global markets” October 15, 2014 Challenger bank Aldermore has pulled its IPO, citing “the recent deterioration of global equity markets”. City A.M. reported the company was on the brink of rowing back on its plans last night. The flotation, which would have valued the company at £800m, had been hit by choppy and volatile markets, combined with a [...]
Aldermore IPO on the brink October 14, 2014 The flotation of Aldermore, the challenger bank focused on small business lending, was on the brink of collapse last night. Aldermore, which is trying to raise funds in the market at the same time as the retail challenger bank Virgin Money, has faced a tough time during its marketing period. Demand has been [...]
Royal Mail IPO share price: One year on – will Vince Cable have the last laugh? October 9, 2014 The pressure on business secretary Vince Cable to admit that the government made a mistake pricing Royal Mail shares at 330p has been steadily building since the company floated a year ago. On the first day of conditional trading, shares soared 38 per cent, having already opened at 403p. This increase, coupled with fevered appetite [...]
Ordinary investors are losing out in the rush for cut-price flotations October 9, 2014 THE MASS market British Gas and BT privatisations of the 1980s created a whole new generation of investors and, 30 years on, the next generation is waiting in the wings. With many companies – including high profile public brands – keen to save flotation costs, however, retail investors are being ignored and denied the opportunity [...]
British Car Auctions looking to raise £200m in November IPO October 6, 2014 British Car Auctions (BCA), owner of online car buying service webuyanycar.com, is preparing to float on the stock market. The company, which operates in 12 European countries as well as Brazil, is aiming to raise around £200m through placing at least 25 per cent of its issued share capital. John Olsen, chief executive [...]