European Event-Driven Analyst

Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

Jesús is an Insight Provider (Event-driven) on the Smartkarma network, where he looks across sectors at opportunities arising from securities mispricing (both credit and equity), share classes, bid announcements, prospective bids, and special situations. He has served as Economic and Business Advisor at the Spanish Congress in Madrid. Prior to that, he has worked in the City of London: as a Credit Analyst at Bloomberg; Event-driven associate at former boutique European Research; and doubled as Special Situations and Equity-linked VP (convertible bonds) at Merrill Lynch. Jesús has an MBA from the London Business School, a BA (Hons.) degree in Economics from the Complutense University in Madrid, and a BA (Hons.) in Law from U.N.E.D., also in Madrid.

German Preferred Shares: Takeover and Conversion

Liquid Universe of European Ordinary and Preferred Shares: April Report

Event-Driven

On 8 May 2021, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/traton-se" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28140:1" rel="noopener">Traton SE (8TRA GR)</a> submitted a specified request to the Executive Board of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/man-se" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21670:1" rel="noopener">MAN SE (MAN GR)</a> to convene the AGM of MAN SE to resolve on the transfer of the shares held by its minority shareholders to Traton SE.
<ul>
<li>
Traton SE currently holds 94.36 % of the share capital of MAN SE. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/volkswagen-ag" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21738:1" rel="noopener">Volkswagen (VOW GR)</a> has a c. 90% stake in Traton.
</li>
<li>
The proposed cash compensation is €70.68 (27% premium to the closing price on the last trading session prior to the news release) per both common and preference share and is addressed to c. 8.29 mn shares, for a total consideration of c. €586 mn.
</li>
<li>The announcement follows record Q1 2021 results at Traton and strong performance at MAN SE (33% increase in incoming orders and 29% increase in unit sales, 17% increase in sales revenue and €71 mn in adjusted operating result, vs negative €78 in Q1 2020 at MAN SE). MAN SE plans to cut as much as a quarter of its workforce and potentially close three factories in a restructuring plan.</li>
</ul>
The Executive Board and the Supervisory Board of MAN SE will propose to the Annual General Meeting (date TBA shortly) that a dividend of € 0.11 per ordinary or preference share be distributed for the FY 2020 (source: MAN 2020 accounts and website).
The news clearly took the market by surprise. On 10 May, MAN SE common and preference shares closed at €71.6, a 29% increase vs. the prior closing price (VWAP was €71.72, with c. €27.4 mn traded, well above the three-month average).
Gross spread is (1.15)%, including the €0.11 dividend. The market expects a sweetened squeeze-out compensation, which seems dangerous, or the resolution of a procedure. To be on the safe side, I would wait for the share price to go under €70.79 to set up any position.
<ul>
<li>
The amount of the proposed consideration should be reviewed by a court-appointed auditor.
</li>
<li>By putting revenues on the median of comparables EV/2020a sales, the implied valuation of MAN SE could be €77.3/share. There are not any Capital IQ consensus estimates for FY2021 and beyond.</li>
<li>
Dissenting shareholders may start legal action against the squeeze-out resolution, and delay the date in which it becomes effective by 5-6 months. The basis to challenge the compensation could be stronger than expected results from MAN, and the procedure can take years although it will not delay the squeeze-out. 
</li>
</ul>

On 8 May 2021, Traton SE (8TRA GR) submitted a specified request to the Executive Board of MAN SE (MAN GR) to convene the AGM of MAN SE to resolve on the transfer of the shares held by its minority shareholders to Traton SE.


Traton SE currently holds 94.36 % of the share capital of MAN SE. Volkswagen (VOW GR) has a c. 90% stake in Traton.


The proposed cash compensation is €70.68 (27% premium to the closing price on the last trading session prior to the news release) per both common and preference share and is addressed to c. 8.29 mn shares, for a total consideration of c. €586 mn.

The announcement follows record Q1 2021 results at Traton and strong performance at MAN SE (33% increase in incoming orders and 29% increase in unit sales, 17% increase in sales revenue and €71 mn in adjusted operating result, vs negative €78 in Q1 2020 at MAN SE). MAN SE plans to cut as much as a quarter of its workforce and potentially close three factories in a restructuring plan.

The Executive Board and the Supervisory Board of MAN SE will propose to the Annual General Meeting (date TBA shortly) that a dividend of € 0.11 per ordinary or preference share be distributed for the FY 2020 (source: MAN 2020 accounts and website).
The news clearly took the market by surprise. On 10 May, MAN SE common and preference shares closed at €71.6, a 29% increase vs. the prior closing price (VWAP was €71.72, with c. €27.4 mn traded, well above the three-month average).
Gross spread is (1.15)%, including the €0.11 dividend. The market expects a sweetened squeeze-out compensation, which seems dangerous, or the resolution of a procedure. To be on the safe side, I would wait for the share price to go under €70.79 to set up any position.


The amount of the proposed consideration should be reviewed by a court-appointed auditor.

By putting revenues on the median of comparables EV/2020a sales, the implied valuation of MAN SE could be €77.3/share. There are not any Capital IQ consensus estimates for FY2021 and beyond.

Dissenting shareholders may start legal action against the squeeze-out resolution, and delay the date in which it becomes effective by 5-6 months. The basis to challenge the compensation could be stronger than expected results from MAN, and the procedure can take years although it will not delay the squeeze-out. 



MAN

Traton SE/MAN SE: Minority Squeeze-Out