It’s a deal: Amundi pays €3.5bn to Unicredit for Pioneer Investments December 12, 2016 Shares in Unicredit jumped over three per cent this morning after French asset manager Amundi sealed the deal to buy Pioneer Investments from the Italian lender for €3.5bn (£2.9bn) Before the transaction even closes, Unicredit's cash coffers will be bolstered by a €315m payment from Pioneer to its soon-to-be former parent. Amundi has moved quickly in agreeing [...]
Sky seeks to calm shareholder concerns over Fox bid as board independence comes under fire December 11, 2016 Broadcasting giant Sky is vying to convince investors that 21st Century Fox’s £10.75 per share takeover bid is not undervaluing the company. Sky revealed last Friday it had reached an agreement with Fox that values the business at £18.5bn – but some shareholders criticised the approach over the weekend. One big name City shareholder told City [...]
Political opposition to Murdoch takeover of Sky mounts December 10, 2016 Former Labour leader Ed Miliband, former business secretary Vince Cable and influential campaign group Hacked Off have all voiced their opposition to the possibility of a 21st Century Fox takeover of Sky. Although media analysts appear to believe the deal is unlikely to be blocked by regulators, the news has attracted a number of objections in the [...]
21st Century Fox takeover of Sky unlikely to be blocked by regulators, say media analysts December 10, 2016 Media analysts do not believe regulators would block a takeover of Sky by Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox. Fox said last night it had reached an agreement in principle to acquire the 61 per cent of Sky it does not already own for £10.75 per share. This would value Sky at £18.5bn. Murdoch’s News Corporation [...]
21st Century Fox in talks to buy Sky, valuing UK firm at £18.5bn December 9, 2016 Sky’s share price leapt by more than 30 per cent on Friday afternoon after the company said it was in talks to be taken over by Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox. The directors of both companies have reached an agreement at £10.75 per share in cash – putting an overall value of Sky at £18.5bn. Fox [...]
Fyffes’ shares rocket after bananas deal from Sumitomo December 9, 2016 A lot people seem to think 2016 was the year when the world went bananas. And today, investors in them will be going bananas too. Sumitomo, one of Japan's largest conglomerates, revealed it was splashing out €751m (£631m) to buy Irish banana giant Fyffes. Read more: How bananas could one day cure the flu Offering shareholders €2.23 [...]
Shares fall as Daily Mail publisher reveals details of £315m Euromoney stake sale December 9, 2016 Financial information business Euromoney saw its share price drop nine per cent on Friday morning as Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) revealed details of its plans sell part of its stake in the company. DMGT’s share price fell two per cent also after the company, which publishes the Daily Mail, said it plans to raise [...]
Deutsche Boerse boss in warning over London Stock Exchange deal hurdles: “It is still not clear at all that everything will work out” December 9, 2016 The chief executive of Deutsche Boerse has warned “it is still not clear at all that everything will work out” in relation to the German company’s merger with the London Stock Exchange. The exchange operators, which agreed to the £21bn deal in March, are awaiting a statement of objections to the deal next week from [...]
National Grid is planning a special dividend after the £14bn sale of its gas network December 8, 2016 Subsidiaries of China and Qatar's sovereign wealth funds are among the investors who have bought a 61 per cent stake in National Grid’s gas pipelines for £13.8bn, which will see £4bn returned to shareholders. National Grid said it had sold a 61 per cent equity interest in its NG Gas Distribution to a consortium of investors called the Quad [...]
Brexit vote hits deal numbers in third quarter December 6, 2016 The total number of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) involving UK companies in the three months to September almost halved from the previous quarter. The data from the Office of National Statistics is the first indication of how deal activity has been impacted following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union in June’s referendum. In total, [...]