Result of Equity Issue
FirstGroup PLC
09 February 2007
This announcement is not for release, publication or distribution, directly or
indirectly, in or into the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Japan
or any jurisdiction in which the same would be unlawful. This announcement is
not an offer of securities in the United States, Canada, South Africa,
Australia, Japan or any jurisdiction in which the same would be unlawful.
9 February 2007
FirstGroup plc ('FirstGroup' or the 'Company')
RESULT OF EQUITY PLACING TO RAISE APPROXIMATELY £200 MILLION
FirstGroup is pleased to announce the successful completion of the placing
announced earlier today (the 'Placing').
A total of 39,527,477 new ordinary shares of 5 pence each (the 'Placing Shares')
issued by the Company have been placed with institutions at a price of 560 pence
per Placing Share. Based on the placing price, the gross proceeds are
approximately £221 million. The Placing Shares being issued represent
approximately 9.99 per cent of FirstGroup's issued ordinary share capital prior
to the Placing.
The Placing Shares will, when issued, be credited as fully paid and will rank
equally in all respects with the existing issued ordinary shares of 5 pence each
in the capital of the Company including the right to receive all future
dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid in respect of such
ordinary shares after the date of their issue of the Placing Shares.
Application has been made for, and the Placing is conditional on, inter alia,
admission of the Placing Shares to listing on the Official List maintained by
the UK Listing Authority and admission to trading by the London Stock Exchange
plc on its market for listed securities (together, 'Admission'). Admission is
expected to take place, settlement to occur and dealing in the Placing Shares to
commence at 8.00a.m. on 14 February 2007.
ENQUIRIES:
FirstGroup
Moir Lockhead, Chief Executive Tel: +44 (0) 207 291 0505
Dean Finch, Finance Director Tel: +44 (0) 207 291 0512
Rachael Borthwick, Corporate Communications Director Tel: +44 (0) 207 291 0508
JPMorgan Cazenove Tel: +44 (0) 207 588 2828
(Financial advisers & broker to FirstGroup)
Ian Hannam
Malcolm Moir
Tricorn Partners Tel: +44 (0) 207 823 0888
(Financial advisers to FirstGroup)
Justin Dowley
UBS
(Broker to FirstGroup)
Robert Jennings Tel: +44 (0) 20 7568 2809
Christopher Smith Tel: +44 (0) 20 7568 4389
Brunswick Tel: +44 (0) 207 404 5959
(PR for FirstGroup)
Giles Croot
JPMorgan Cazenove Limited, which is authorised and regulated in the United
Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority, is acting exclusively for the
Company and no one else in connection with the Placing and will not be
responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections
afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in relation to the Placing or
in relation to the contents of this announcement or for any other transaction,
arrangement or matters referred to in this announcement.
Tricorn Partners, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the
Financial Services Authority, is acting exclusively as financial adviser for the
Company and no one else in connection with the Placing and will not be
responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections
afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to the Placing or in
relation to the contents of this announcement, or for any other transaction,
arrangement or matters referred to in this announcement.
UBS Limited is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection
with the Placing and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company
for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for providing advice
in relation to the Placing or in relation to the contents of this announcement
or for any other transaction, arrangement or matters referred to in this
announcement.
This announcement is for information only and does not constitute an offer or
invitation to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any
securities or investment advice in any jurisdiction.
This announcement is not for release, publication or distribution, directly or
indirectly, in or into the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Japan
or any jurisdiction in which the same would be unlawful. This announcement does
not constitute an offer to sell or issue, or the solicitation of an offer to buy
or subscribe for, securities in the United States, Canada, South Africa,
Australia or Japan or any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is
unlawful and should not be relied upon in connection with any decision to
acquire Placing Shares or other securities in the capital of the Company.
The Placing Shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S.
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 'Securities Act') or under the laws of
any state of the United States and may not be offered, sold or transferred,
directly or indirectly, within the United States except pursuant to an exemption
from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the
Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. In the United States, the
offering is being made only to a limited number of 'qualified institutional
buyers' in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act. This announcement
does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor
shall there be any sale of, the Placing Shares in any state in which such offer,
solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Placing Shares have not been, and
will not be, registered with any regulatory authority of any state within the
United States.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange