(09-04-2018, 10:47 PM)pianist Wrote: The Offeror has obtained the consent of the Securities Industry Council of Singapore to reduce the Acceptance Condition to a level of more than 50 per cent. of the total number of Shares, subject to:
(i) the revised Offer remaining open for another 14 days following the posting of the written notification of such revision as set out in this Letter; and
(ii) the Shareholders who have accepted the initial Offer being permitted to withdraw their acceptance within eight days of the posting of the written notification of such revision as set out in this Letter.
the 2nd criteria looks a little weird. what happened to the shares that did not accept finally. does the company get delisted or remain listed?
Hi pianist
The company can only be compulsorily delisted if they attain 90% of the total outstanding shares.
Right now, they have about 84% +, so the company remains listed.
The 2nd criteria is to protect minority shareholders, now, as the conditions stated out previously has changed (that the offer is only valid contingent on them getting 90% to delist. Now, they are lowering the threshold and accepting buy outs of minority shareholders), so this is a chance for those who have accepted, to cancel their acceptances.
I suspect few will do so though, because it's quite troublesome. You'd have to individually write in to cancel. There's no form.
Following this exercise, the company remains listed, but is now very much majority owned by the Chengs, so liquidity will be zilch.
Interestingly, the share price closed today at $0.94, above the offer price, indicating that market participants are expecting an increased offer some time down the road, and/or a competing offer.
Having been through 2 previous delistings, I gotta say that this is very much similar to the previous 2 I have experienced.
What follows is that after a year (the Chengs are not allowed to make another offer within a year after this concludes), the majority shareholders come back with a renewed, higher offer and eventually, the minority shareholders accept.
And it makes sense.
Right now, as it stands, both the Chengs and the minority shareholders holding out, did not get what they want.
LTC would still be listed, the Chengs will own 85%, but what diff does that make compared to previously when they owned close to 50%?
The minority shareholders will now have next to zero liquidity.
At the end of the day, it's all about the price.
And after a year, both parties will be forced to come together again, and accept a price higher than the current $0.925 (but probably not as high as what the minorities hope for aka closer to BV)
That's my previous experience too.