Seven ‘too small to take out Beach’

Original article by James Thomson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 4-Feb-15

Seven Group Holdings has built up a 13.4 per cent stake in Beach Energy, after initially purchasing 3.5 per cent of the group’s shares in late January 2015. The share raid has prompted speculation of a takeover play, but Tim Mann of Morningstar believes that Seven Group lacks sufficient financial firepower to effect a takeover. Martin Kronborg of Credit Suisse suggests that the move may be in expectation that Beach will attract another suitor

CORPORATES
SEVEN GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SVW, BEACH ENERGY LIMITED – ASX BPT, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, WESTRAC HOLDINGS PTY LTD, BAILLIEU HOLST LIMITED

Anchorage Capital reaps big from Dick Smith sellout

Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Age – Page: 21 : 16-Sep-14

Anchorage Capital will make almost $A370 million from its investment in consumer electronics business Dick Smith. The private equity firm bought the struggling business for $A94 million in September 2012. It was floated in December 2013, giving Anchorage a profit of $A264 million. In mid-September 2014, Anchorage sold its remaining 20 per cent stake at $A2.22 a share

CORPORATES
DICK SMITH HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX DSH, ANCHORAGE CAPITAL PARTNERS PTY LTD, MACQUARIE CAPITAL PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW

Fairfax-Nine rumours quashed

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 27-Aug-14

The combined stake of 36% in Nine Entertainment held by US-based hedge funds Oaktree Capital and Apollo Global Management will come out of escrow on 28 August 2014. There have been claims in News Corporation newspaper "The Australian" that rival publisher Fairfax Media is preparing to acquire a major holding in Nine. However due to current cross-media ownership laws it would only be able to purchase 14.99% of the free-to-air TV group, and Fairfax has rejected the speculation

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, OAKTREE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC, APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT LLC, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Escrow test ahead for ASX debutants

Original article by Vesna Poljak, Philip Baker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 26-Aug-14

Investors in companies that listed in late 2013 and early 2014 will be able to sell stock from late August 2014. Shares worth nearly $A3 billion will come out of escrow. Veda Group revealed that shares valued at $A1.1 billion will be released from escrow on 27 August. Geminder Holdings said that it will not sell down its stake in Pact Group when about $A465 million of shares come out of escrow on the same day

CORPORATES
VEDA GROUP LIMITED – ASX VED, PACT GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX PGH, GEMINDER HOLDINGS PTY LTD, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, PACIFIC EQUITY PARTNERS PTY LTD, DICK SMITH HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX DSH, ANCHORAGE CAPITAL PARTNERS PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT LLC, OAKTREE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC, OZFOREX GROUP LIMITED – ASX OFX, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, MEDIBANK PRIVATE LIMITED, HEALTHSCOPE LIMITED – ASX HSO, ESTIA HEALTH PTY LTD, RETIRE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, HOYTS CINEMAS LIMITED, OOH!MEDIA PTY LTD, APN OUTDOOR PTY LTD

$200m peace offer for Lew

Original article by Sue Mitchell, Sarah Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1-Oct : 25-Jun-14

Australian retailing identity Solomon Lew in 1997 acquired a blocking stake of 11.8% in Country Road. In 2014, he has duplicated the move by building a holding of 9.9% in David Jones (DJs). The takeover suitor in both cases is South Africa’s Woolworths, which has now been forced by Lew’s tactics to buy him out of Country Road and to offer $A17 a share. This is an increase of nearly 400% from the on-market price in early 2014. In exchange Woolworths will also be able to move to full ownership of DJs. Insiders say Woolworths had been keen to take control of Country Road in any case

CORPORATES
COUNTRY ROAD LIMITED – ASX CTY, DAVID JONES LIMITED – ASX DJS, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED, PREMIER INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX PMV, NM ROTHSCHILD AND SONS (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, GILBERT AND TOBIN LAWYERS, GREENHILL AND COMPANY, ARNOLD BLOCH LEIBLER, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. TAKEOVERS PANEL, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN RETAIL INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, MIMCO PTY LTD, WITCHERY FASHIONS PTY LTD, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, TRENERY