Rejection of LongRiver's revised proposal

RNS Number : 1168G

Severn Trent PLC

03 June 2013

 



NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF THAT JURISDICTION

3 June 2013

Severn Trent Plc ("Severn Trent")

For Immediate Release

Rejection of LongRiver's revised proposal

The board of directors of Severn Trent (the "Board") announces that it has received a further conditional proposal (the "Revised Proposal") from LongRiver Partners, a consortium led by Borealis Infrastructure Management Inc., and including the Kuwait Investment Office and Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited (together, "LongRiver"). The Revised Proposal was at a price of 2,125p per Severn Trent ordinary share but assumed that the 45.51p per share final dividend already announced in respect of the year ended 31 March 2013 was not paid to shareholders. If the announced final dividend was paid to shareholders, then the Revised Proposal valued each ordinary share at 2,079.49p.

The Board of Severn Trent, having consulted its financial advisers, has unanimously concluded that the Revised Proposal, which represents a premium of only 16% to Severn Trent's share price the day before the announcement of LongRiver's interest in Severn Trent, fails to reflect the significant long term value of Severn Trent or to recognise its future potential.

Severn Trent has delivered for shareholders

·     Total shareholder return of 72% since 1 April 2010, the start of the current regulatory review period, through to 31 March 2013

·     Share price growth from 1,208p to 1,825p between 1 April 2010 and 13 May 2013, the day before the announcement of LongRiver's potential interest in Severn Trent

·     Since privatisation, growth in Regulatory Capital Value ("RCV") from £865m (as at 31 March 1990) to £7,364m (as at 31 March 2013)

·     Announced policy of dividend growth to March 2015 of RPI+3%

Severn Trent has delivered for customers

·     £11.2bn of investment in the water business since privatisation

·     The current lowest combined water and sewerage charges in England and Wales

·     Substantial improvements in customer services

·     Lowest level of leakage in 20 years

Severn Trent has confidence in its future: Severn Trent's RCV is estimated to grow to £7,997m by March 2015; its policy is to grow dividends to March 2015 by RPI+3% and Severn Trent is well prepared for the next price review and for longer-term developments in the future regulatory landscape for the water industry.

Accordingly, Severn Trent has informed LongRiver that it has rejected the Revised Proposal.

Commenting on the Revised Proposal, Andrew Duff, the Chairman of Severn Trent said:

"Severn Trent is a high quality company with a record of long term delivery for shareholders and customers. Our business benefits from long term inflation-linked revenues, good prospects for further capital investment and a strong record of improving operational performance."

"The Board unanimously believes that LongRiver's revised conditional proposal at 2,079.49 pence per share, excluding the final dividend which we have already announced, fails to value the attractions to Severn Trent's shareholders of Severn Trent's increasingly rare combination of yield, inflation-linked business model and potential."

Pursuant to Note 3 to Rule 2.5 of the Takeover Code (the "Code") Severn Trent is required to make clear that this announcement is not being made with the agreement or approval of LongRiver and that there can be no certainty that an offer will be made nor as to the terms on which any offer might be made.

A copy of this announcement can be viewed at www.severntrent.com/possibleoffer

Enquiries:

Severn Trent

Andrew Duff                                                                                                                      [phone]

Tony Wray                                         

Rothschild (financial adviser to Severn Trent)
Crispin Wright                                                                                                                   [phone]       

Citi (financial adviser to Severn Trent)

Simon Lindsay                                                                                                                   [phone]

Barclays (financial adviser and corporate broker to Severn Trent)

Alisdair Gayne                                                                                                                  [phone]       

Morgan Stanley (financial adviser and corporate broker to Severn Trent)

Paul Baker                                                                                                                          [phone]

Tulchan (financial communications adviser to Severn Trent)

Andrew Grant                                                                                                                   [phone]

Martha Walsh

Bases and Sources

The relevant bases of calculation and sources of information are provided below in the order in which the relevant information first appears in this announcement and by reference to the relevant statement.

1.    Reference to the share price premium of 16% is based on the Revised Proposal of 2,125p per Severn Trent ordinary share, which assumed that the 45.51p per share final dividend already announced in respect of the year ended 31 March 2013 was not paid to shareholders, and Severn Trent's share price of 1,825p on 13 May 2013, the day before the announcement of LongRiver's potential interest in Severn Trent.

2.    Reference to total shareholder return is derived from data provided by Thomson Reuters Datastream which assumes reinvestment of dividends.

3.    Reference to total investment made in the water business is based on nominal gross capital expenditure investment as reported in Severn Trent's annual submissions to Ofwat.

4.    References to RCV are to reported RCV as shown on Ofwat's website. Reference to estimated RCV is calculated by applying year end RPI forecast from Experian of 3.4% for 13/14 and 3.3% for 14/15. For RCV values see: www.ofwat.gov.uk/regulating/prs_web_rcvupdates.

Rothschild, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, is acting exclusively for Severn Trent and no one else in connection with the subject matter of this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Severn Trent for providing the protections afforded to clients of Rothschild nor for providing advice in relation to the subject matter of this announcement or any other matters referred to in this announcement.

Citigroup Global Markets Limited, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority, is acting exclusively for Severn Trent and for no-one else in connection with the matters set out in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Severn Trent for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in connection with the matters set out in this announcement.

Barclays Bank PLC, acting through its Investment Bank ("Barclays"), which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively for Severn Trent and no one else in connection with the subject matter of this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Severn Trent for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to the subject matter of this announcement or in relation to the contents of this announcement or any transaction or any other matters referred to herein.

Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc, which is authorised by the  Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting as financial adviser to Severn Trent and for no one else in relation to the matters described in this announcement. In connection  with  such matters, Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc, its  affiliates and their  respective directors,  officers, employees and agents  will not regard  any other person  as their client,  nor will they  be responsible  to  anyone other  than  Severn Trent for  providing  the protections afforded to their clients or for  providing advice in  connection with the matters  described in  this announcement  or any  matter referred  to herein.

Notes: 

Disclosure requirements of the Code

Under Rule 8.3(a) of the Code, any person who is interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of an offeree company or of any paper offeror (being any offeror other than an offeror in respect of which it has been announced that its offer is, or is likely to be, solely in cash) must make an Opening Position Disclosure following the commencement of the offer period and, if later, following the announcement in which any paper offeror is first identified. An Opening Position Disclosure must contain details of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any paper offeror(s). An Opening Position Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(a) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the commencement of the offer period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the announcement in which any paper offeror is first identified. Relevant persons who deal in the relevant securities of the offeree company or of a paper offeror prior to the deadline for making an Opening Position Disclosure must instead make a Dealing Disclosure.

Under Rule 8.3(b) of the Code, any person who is, or becomes, interested in 1% or more of any class of relevant securities of the offeree company or of any paper offeror must make a Dealing Disclosure if the person deals in any relevant securities of the offeree company or of any paper offeror. A Dealing Disclosure must contain details of the dealing concerned and of the person's interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any paper offeror, save to the extent that these details have previously been disclosed under Rule 8. A Dealing Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the business day following the date of the relevant dealing.

If two or more persons act together pursuant to an agreement or understanding, whether formal or informal, to acquire or control an interest in relevant securities of an offeree company or a paper offeror, they will be deemed to be a single person for the purpose of Rule 8.3.

Opening Position Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company and by any offeror and Dealing Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company, by any offeror and by any persons acting in concert with any of them (see Rules 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4).

Details of the offeree and offeror companies in respect of whose relevant securities Opening Position Disclosures and Dealing Disclosures must be made can be found in the Disclosure Table on the Takeover Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk, including details of the number of relevant securities in issue, when the offer period commenced and when any offeror was first identified. You should contact the Panel's Market Surveillance Unit on [phone] if you are in any doubt as to whether you are required to make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing Disclosure.

 

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