Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

HK Type 4 license through Ballingal Investment Advisors Ltd. 

I'm a highly experienced sell-side analyst with in excess of 22 years of covering Asia Pacific equities, the past 19 years immersed in event strategies encompassing M&A risk arbitrage, directional long/short, stub trades and restructuring.  

My background also includes accountancy (liquidation/bankruptcy/receivership) earlier in my career and as a chief financial officer of a global commodity company based in the US and Mexico.

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Xenith Caves And Recommends IPH's Superior Offer

Xenith-IPH Merger: Take That Last Little Bit

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/2495" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:2495:1">Iph Ltd (IPH AU)</a> has gate crashed <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/24315" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24315:1">Xenith Ip (XIP AU)</a>/<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/24317" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:24317:1">Qantm Intellectual Property (QIP AU)</a>'s marriage of equals, submitting a <a href="https://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20190312/pdf/443dg79r2bqhh5.pdf" target="_blank">proposal</a> (by way of a Scheme) for Xenith comprising cash (A$1.28) and IPH shares (0.1056 IPH shares) or A$1.97/share, 23.3% above the implied QANTM merger consideration.
Last November, Xenith and QANTM , both leading providers of IP origination services in Australia, <a href="https://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20181127/pdf/440nl2jsl0355v.pdf" target="_blank">announced</a> a merger via an all-scrip scheme of arrangement, whereby Xenith shareholders will receive 1.22 QANTM shares for every Xenith share, or an implied value of A$1.598/share. QANTM and Xenith shareholders would own 55% and 45% of the merged group with a then pro-forma capitalisation of A$285mn. Pre-cost synergies are estimated at A$7mn/annum at the end of  year three.
Xenith's board unanimously recommended the merger to its shareholders.
IPH did not blink and on the same day as the Xenith/QANTM announcement, <a href="https://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20181127/pdf/440npljmz4rtnt.pdf" target="_blank">lobbed</a> an unsolicited, indicative, preliminary, conditional and non-binding cash &amp; scrip proposal to acquire QANTM at $1.80/share (including a a A$0.05 dividend) by way of a scheme, or a 42% premium to last close.
QANTM's board <a href="https://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20181127/pdf/440nxqykt65vqh.pdf" target="_blank">rejected</a> the proposal due to its highly conditional nature, significant execution risk, and that the offer undervalued the company. IPH <a href="https://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20181129/pdf/440s7m9fwj1zfq.pdf" target="_blank">countered</a> those claims, spurring QANTM to<a href="https://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20181129/pdf/440sqys8bwqm38.pdf" target="_blank"> counter</a> those countered claims.
On the 13 February 2019, IPH <a href="https://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20190213/pdf/442krx96mz0vry.pdf" target="_blank">bought a 19.9% stake</a> in Xenith at $1.85/share (or ~A$33mn) from institutional investors, and further added that is does not support the QANTM scheme and intends to vote against it. In response, both Xenith and QANTM announced that neither had received a proposal from IPH. Xenith's shares increased 20.3% to close at A$1.69/share.
The provisional date for ACCC s clearance of the <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/public-registers/mergers-registers/public-informal-merger-reviews/qantm-intellectual-property-ltd-xenith-ip-group-ltd" target="_blank">QANTM/Xenith merger</a> is the 21 March. The provisional date for <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/public-registers/mergers-registers/public-informal-merger-reviews/iph-limited-acquisition-of-xenith-ip-group-limited-or-qantm-intellectual-property-limited" target="_blank">IPH/Xenith</a> is the 2 May. The QANTM/Xenith Scheme meeting is scheduled for 3 April with a 24 April implementation date. IPH's proposal has an indicative implementation date of mid-July.
IPH's proposal currently offers an implied value of $1.98 (65% in cash) against $1.85 for QANTM's all-scrip offer.
The key risk to IPH's proposal is ACCC's consent. IPH, QANTM and Xenith are the only three ASX-listed intellectual property companies. IPH is the oldest, and the largest (in terms of revenue). However privately owned companies collectively hold a larger market share - and growing - compared to the three listcos. It is not apparent a merger between either of these two listcos would lessen IP service competition in Australia.
With IPH's blocking stake, the QANTM/Xenith scheme will fail. Xenith should engage with IPH.

Iph Ltd (IPH AU) has gate crashed Xenith Ip (XIP AU)/Qantm Intellectual Property (QIP AU)'s marriage of equals, submitting a proposal (by way of a Scheme) for Xenith comprising cash (A$1.28) and IPH shares (0.1056 IPH shares) or A$1.97/share, 23.3% above the implied QANTM merger consideration.
Last November, Xenith and QANTM , both leading providers of IP origination services in Australia, announced a merger via an all-scrip scheme of arrangement, whereby Xenith shareholders will receive 1.22 QANTM shares for every Xenith share, or an implied value of A$1.598/share. QANTM and Xenith shareholders would own 55% and 45% of the merged group with a then pro-forma capitalisation of A$285mn. Pre-cost synergies are estimated at A$7mn/annum at the end of  year three.
Xenith's board unanimously recommended the merger to its shareholders.
IPH did not blink and on the same day as the Xenith/QANTM announcement, lobbed an unsolicited, indicative, preliminary, conditional and non-binding cash &amp; scrip proposal to acquire QANTM at $1.80/share (including a a A$0.05 dividend) by way of a scheme, or a 42% premium to last close.
QANTM's board rejected the proposal due to its highly conditional nature, significant execution risk, and that the offer undervalued the company. IPH countered those claims, spurring QANTM to counter those countered claims.
On the 13 February 2019, IPH bought a 19.9% stake in Xenith at $1.85/share (or ~A$33mn) from institutional investors, and further added that is does not support the QANTM scheme and intends to vote against it. In response, both Xenith and QANTM announced that neither had received a proposal from IPH. Xenith's shares increased 20.3% to close at A$1.69/share.
The provisional date for ACCC s clearance of the QANTM/Xenith merger is the 21 March. The provisional date for IPH/Xenith is the 2 May. The QANTM/Xenith Scheme meeting is scheduled for 3 April with a 24 April implementation date. IPH's proposal has an indicative implementation date of mid-July.
IPH's proposal currently offers an implied value of $1.98 (65% in cash) against $1.85 for QANTM's all-scrip offer.
The key risk to IPH's proposal is ACCC's consent. IPH, QANTM and Xenith are the only three ASX-listed intellectual property companies. IPH is the oldest, and the largest (in terms of revenue). However privately owned companies collectively hold a larger market share - and growing - compared to the three listcos. It is not apparent a merger between either of these two listcos would lessen IP service competition in Australia.
With IPH's blocking stake, the QANTM/Xenith scheme will fail. Xenith should engage with IPH.

Xenith Ip

IPH Goes Hostile on Xenith