HgCapital Trust announces sale of Zitcom

RNS Number : 0660I

HgCapital Trust PLC

14 June 2017

 

14 June 2017

HgCapital Trust adds to NAV per share from sale of Zitcom at 3.3x cost

HgCapital, the Manager of HgCapital Trust plc (the "Company"), has announced that it has sold Zitcom, a leading Danish hosting and cloud solutions provider operating in the SME segment, to Intelligent, a Belgian headquartered provider of hosting services. The terms of this transaction were not disclosed.

The sale of Zitcom delivers a c. 3.3x investment multiple and a c. 145% gross IRR over the investment period.

The Company, whose shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange, gives private and institutional investors the opportunity to participate in all HgCapital's investments. The Company will realise cash proceeds of approximately £8.8 million on completion of the transaction.  This represents an uplift of £4.4 million (101%) or 12 pence per share over the carrying value of £4.4 million in the Net Asset Value ("NAV") of the Trust at 31 May 2017 which was based on the Directors' valuation as at 31 December 2016.

Based on the 31 May 2017 reported NAV (including all announced transactions and the revaluation of the carried interest provision), the pro-forma NAV of the Company is expected to increase to £621.2 million or 1,664.4 pence per share. The Trust's liquid resources available for future deployment are estimated to be £146 million (24% of the pro-forma 31 May 2017 NAV).

The investments within the Company's portfolio were last valued at 31 December 2016. The Company's 2017 interim results, including the re-valuation of the portfolio as at 30 June 2017 will be announced on 11 September 2017.

HgCapital's Mercury Fund sells Zitcom Group to Intelligent

·     Exit has delivered a c. 3.3x investment multiple and c. 145% gross IRR after 18 months of ownership

·     Second exit from HgCapital's specialist lower mid-market Mercury TMT fund, which has delivered aggregate realised returns of c. 2.8x and c. 70% gross IRR

·     The £380m Fund made its first investment in 2012; and has returned c. 40% of invested capital back to clients

14 June 2017, London: HgCapital is pleased to announce that it has sold Zitcom Group, a leading Danish SME-focused hosting and cloud solutions provider, to Intelligent, a Belgian headquartered provider of hosting solutions. The terms of this transaction were not disclosed.

HgCapital partnered with the management of Zitcom Group in December 2015, representing the 7^th investment for Mercury, HgCapital's specialist lower mid-market TMT fund. This exit marks the second full realisation for the Mercury fund, following the sale of Relay announced in August 2016 and four prior successful recapitalisations across the portfolio.

Through organic growth and acquisitions, Zitcom Group has created a leading Danish SME focused hosting and cloud solutions provider with activities in both the mass and managed hosting space, including domains website hosting, email for smaller customers and managed servers and applications for larger customers. The group has demonstrated over ten years of consistent revenue growth and provides cloud services to over 100,000 business and private customers in Denmark, operating under the brands Zitcom, Wannafind, UnoEuro, Curanet, ScanNet and Cloud.dk.

The business displays many of the characteristics that HgCapital looks for including: an attractive growth sector; a loyal customer case; a strong management team; and platform potential for M&A.

During HgCapital's 18-month ownership period, HgCapital has supported Zitcom Group's acquisition and integration of four companies which has helped double the customer base and revenue while close to tripling profits of the Group.

Following this sale, the Mercury 1 Fund will have returned nearly 40% of invested cost, including proceeds from the prior exit of Relay Software (announced in July 2016 for 2.1x cost / 39% gross IRR) and a combination of other portfolio company refinancings. The Fund has delivered overall realised returns of c. 2.8x cost and a c. 70% gross IRR.

Stefan Rosenlund, CEO of Zitcom Group, said: "HgCapital has been a fantastic partner for Zitcom Group and has helped us mature - both as a business and as individuals. HgCapital has been a huge asset in developing Zitcom Group into a strong and market leading hosting group ready for new challenges and new ownership. I thank HgCapital for the trust and time that they have invested in us and look forward to continue Zitcom Group's growth journey in the Danish SME hosting market."

Nick Jordan, Director at HgCapital, said: "It has been a pleasure to partner with the Zitcom Group management team and employees over the last 18 months and play a role in building a leader in the Danish SME hosting segment. They have transformed their sector in Denmark. We wish them continued success in this exciting new phase of their story"

HgCapital were advised by Harris Williams, Linklaters and Accura.

- Ends -

For further details:

HgCapital
Laura Dixon	[phone]
Maitland
Tom Eckersley	[phone]
Seda Ambartsumian	[phone]

About HgCapital Trust plc

HgCapital Trust plc is an investment trust whose shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange (ticker: HGT.L). The Company is a client of HgCapital, giving investors exposure to a portfolio of high-growth private companies, through a liquid vehicle. New investments and existing portfolio companies are managed by HgCapital, an experienced and well-resourced private equity firm with a long-term track record of delivering superior risk-adjusted returns for its investors. For further details, please see www.hgcapitaltrust.com.

Neither the contents of HgCapital Trust's, HgCapital's, Zitcom Group's, nor Intelligent's websites nor the contents of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the websites (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.

 

END

 

 

DISFIMLTMBIBMPR