Results of the Placing

RNS Number : 6205I

Hays PLC

02 April 2020

 

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN HEREIN, IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR FORWARDING, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.

FURTHER, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION.

LEI: 213800QC8AWD4BO8TH08

For immediate release

2 April 2020

Hays plc ("Hays" or "the Company")

Results of the Placing

Hays plc ("Hays" or the "Company") announces the successful completion of the non-pre-emptive placing of ordinary shares in the capital of the Company announced earlier today (the "Placing").

A total of 210,421,053 new ordinary shares in the capital of the Company (the "Placing Shares") have been placed by BofA Securities, Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies") and UBS AG London Branch ("UBS", and together with BofA Securities and Jefferies, the "Joint Global Co-ordinators"), at a price of 95.0 pence per Placing Share (the "Placing Price").

Together, the Placing and Subscription (as each term is defined below) of 210,526,317 new ordinary shares raised gross proceeds of approximately £200 million. The Placing Price of 95.0 pence represents a discount of 13.2 per cent to the closing share price of 109.4 pence on 1 April 2020 and a discount of 3.6 per cent to the middle market price at the time at which the Company and the Joint Global Co-ordinators agreed the Placing Price. The Placing Shares and Subscription Shares (defined below) being issued represent together approximately 14.3 per cent of the existing issued ordinary share capital of Hays prior to the Placing.

Applications have been made to the Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA") and the London Stock Exchange plc (the "LSE") respectively for the admission of the Placing Shares and the Subscription Shares to the premium listing segment of the Official List of the FCA and to trading on the main market for listed securities of the LSE (together, "Admission"). It is expected that Admission will become effective on or before 8.00 a.m. on 6 April 2020. The Placing is conditional upon, amongst other things, Admission becoming effective and upon the placing agreement between the Joint Global Co-ordinators and the Company not being terminated in accordance with its terms.

The Placing Shares and Subscription Shares, when issued, will be fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with each other and with the existing ordinary shares of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid after the date of issue.

Following Admission, the total number of shares in issue in Hays will be 1,682,116,775. Hays currently holds 4,390,318 ordinary shares as treasury shares which do not carry voting rights, and, therefore, following Admission, the total number of voting shares in Hays in issue will be 1,677,726,457.This figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

Director participation

Concurrently with the Placing, the following directors of the Company have agreed to subscribe for the number of new ordinary shares (the "Subscription Shares") in the capital of the Company at the Placing Price (the "Subscription") opposite his name as set out below:

Name	Number of Subscription Shares to be Subscribed
Andrew Martin	35,088
Alistair Cox	35,088
Paul Venables	35,088
Total	105,264

The person responsible for releasing this announcement is Doug Evans - Company Secretary & General Counsel .

CONTACTS

Hays plc 

Paul Venables     Group Finance Director                                 [phone]

David Phillips  Head of Investor Relations                            [phone]

BofA Securities                                                                                  [phone]

Peter Luck

Justin Anstee

David Lloyd

Jefferies International Limited                                                            [phone]

Simon Hardy

Daniel Frommelt

Lee Morton

UBS AG London Branch

Rahul Luthra   [phone]

Alex Bloch

Meera Sheth

Finsbury  [phone]

Guy Lamming

Anjali Unnikrishnan

IMPORTANT NOTICES

No action has been taken by the Company, Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies"), Merrill Lynch International ("BofA Securities"), UBS AG London Branch ("UBS", and together with Jefferies and BofA Securities, the "Banks") or any of its or their respective affiliates, or any of its or their respective agents, directors, officers or employees that would permit an offer of the Placing Shares or possession or distribution of this Announcement or any other offering or publicity material relating to such Placing Shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of such jurisdictions.  Persons into whose possession this Announcement comes are required by the Company and the Banks to inform themselves about, and to observe, such restrictions.

This Announcement has been issued by and is the sole responsibility of the Company. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by Jefferies, BofA Securities, UBS or by any of their respective affiliates or agents (or any of its respective directors, officers, employees or advisers) as to, or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of this Announcement (or whether any information has been omitted from the Announcement), or any other written, oral, visual or electronic information made available to or publicly available to any interested party or its advisers, or any other statement made or purported to be made by or on behalf of any of the Banks or any of its affiliates in connection with the Company, the Placing Shares or the Placing and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed. Each of Jefferies, BofA Securities and UBS, and their respective affiliates, accordingly disclaim all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as referred to above) in respect of the use of this Announcement, or any statements or other information contained (or omitted) in this Announcement or otherwise arising in connection therewith and no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by Jefferies, BofA Securities or UBS, or any of their respective affiliates, as to the accuracy, completeness or sufficiency of the information contained in this Announcement.

No prospectus will be made available in connection with the matters contained in this Announcement and no such prospectus is required (in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation) to be published.  Persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT, IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (COLLECTIVELY, THE "UNITED STATES"), AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.  FURTHER, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, NOR IS IT INTENDED THAT IT WILL BE SO APPROVED.

This Announcement or any part of it does not constitute or form part of any offer to issue or sell, or the solicitation of an offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for, any securities in the United States, Canada, Australia, the Republic of South Africa or Japan or any other jurisdiction in which the same would be unlawful. No public offering of the Placing Shares is being made in any such jurisdiction.

The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or under the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, and may not be offered or sold directly or indirectly in or into the United States absent registration under the Securities Act or pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with the securities laws of any state or any other jurisdiction of the United States.  The Placing Shares are, subject to certain exceptions, being offered and sold only outside the United States in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act ("Regulation S").  No public offering of securities is being made in the United States.  No money, securities or other consideration from any person inside the United States is being solicited and, if sent in response to the information contained in this Announcement, will not be accepted.

Members of the public are not eligible to take part in the Placing. In the European Economic Area ("EEA"), this Announcement is directed only at and may only be communicated to persons who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(e) of Prospectus Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2017/1129) ("Qualified Investors"). In the United Kingdom, this Announcement is directed only at Qualified Persons who are also (i) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments who fall within the definition of "investment professionals" in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order"); (ii) high net worth bodies corporate, unincorporated associations and partnerships and trustees of high value trusts as described in Article 49(2) of the Order; or (iii) persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (together, "Relevant Persons"). Any investment or investment activity to which the Announcement relates is only available to and will only be engaged with Relevant Persons. This announcement must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not Relevant Persons.

Certain statements contained in this Announcement constitute "forward-looking statements" with respect to the financial condition, performance, strategic initiatives, objectives, results of operations and business of the Company. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this Announcement are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements.  Without limitation, any statements preceded or followed by or that include the words ''targets'', ''plans'', ''believes'', ''expects'', ''aims'', ''intends'', ''anticipates'', ''estimates'', ''projects'', ''will'', ''may'', "would", "could" or "should", or words or terms of similar substance or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements include statements relating to the following: (i) future capital expenditures, expenses, revenues, earnings, synergies, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, dividend policy, losses and future prospects; and (ii) business and management strategies and the expansion and growth of the Company's operations. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect expected results and are based on certain key assumptions.  Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those projected or implied in any forward-looking statements.  The important factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among others, economic and business cycles, the terms and conditions of the Company's financing arrangements, foreign currency rate fluctuations, competition in the Company's principal markets, acquisitions or disposals of businesses or assets and trends in the Company's principal industries.  Due to such uncertainties and risks, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the events described in the forward-looking statements in this Announcement may not occur. The forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement speak only as of the date of this Announcement.  The Company, its Directors, BofA Securities, Jefferies and UBS each expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required to do so by applicable law or regulation, the Listing Rules, MAR, the DTRs, the rules of the London Stock Exchange or the FCA.

BofA Securities is authorised by the Prudential Regulatory Authority and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Prudential Regulation Authority (the "PRA") and the FCA.  Jefferies is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA. UBS is authorised and regulated by the Financial Market Supervisory Authority in Switzerland. It is authorised by the PRA and subject to regulation by the FCA and limited regulation by the PRA in the United Kingdom. Each of BofA Securities, Jefferies and UBS is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the Placing, the content of this Announcement and other matters described in this Announcement.  BofA Securities, Jefferies and UBS will not regard any other person as their respective clients in relation to the Placing, the content of this Announcement and other matters described in this Announcement and will not be responsible to anyone (including any Placees) other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients or for providing advice to any other person in relation to the Placing, the content of this Announcement or any other matters referred to in this Announcement.   Neither Jefferies, BofA Securities or UBS, nor any of their respective subsidiaries, branches or affiliates, nor any of its directors, officers or employees owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Jefferies, BofA Securities or UBS, respectively, in connection with the Placing, this Announcement, any statement contained herein, or otherwise.

 This Announcement does not identify or suggest, or purport to identify or suggest, the risks (direct or

indirect) that may be associated with an investment in the Placing Shares. Any investment decision to

buy Placing Shares in the Placing must be made solely on the basis of publicly available information,

which has not been independently verified by Jefferies, BofA Securities or UBS.

Any indication in this Announcement of the price at which ordinary shares have been bought or sold in the past cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. No statement in this Announcement is intended as a profit forecast or estimate for any period and no statement in this Announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings, earnings per share or income, cash flow from operations or free cash flow for the Company, as appropriate, for the current or future years would necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings, earnings per share or income, cash flow from operations or free cash flow for the Company.

In connection with the Placing, each of Jefferies, BofA Securities and UBS, and any of their respective affiliates, acting as investors for their own account, may take up a portion of the shares in the Placing as a principal positon and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell, offer to sell for their own accounts such shares and other securities of the Company or related investments in connection with the Placing or otherwise. Accordingly, references to Placing Shares being issued, offered, subscribed, acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should be read as including any issue or offer to, or subscription, acquisition, placing or dealing by, Jefferies, BofA Securities or UBS and any of their respective affiliates, as the case may be, acting in such capacity. In addition, each of Jefferies, BofA Securities and UBS, and any of their respective affiliates may enter into financing arrangements (including swaps, warrants or contracts for differences) with investors in connection with which each of Jefferies, BofA Securities and UBS, and any of their respective affiliates, as the case may be, may  from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of shares. None of Jefferies, BofA Securities or UBS intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do so.

This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning the Placing. The price and value of securities can go down as well as up. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The contents of this announcement are not to be construed as legal, business, financial or tax advice. Each shareholder or prospective investor should consult his, her or its own legal adviser, business adviser, financial advise or tax adviser for legal, financial, business or tax advice.

Neither the content of the Company's website (or any other website) nor the content of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is incorporated into or forms part of this Announcement.

This Announcement has been prepared for the purposes of complying with applicable law and regulation in the United Kingdom and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this Announcement had been prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations of any jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.

Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended ("MiFID II"); (B) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any 'manufacturer' (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that such Placing Shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the "Target Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Placing Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the Placing Shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Placing. Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, the Banks will only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the Placing Shares. Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution channels.

 

END

 

 

ROIITMJTMTJMBTM