Australia: Boral's independent directors have dismissed Seven Group's takeover bid, which valued the company at US$6.9bn. The directors argue the deal does not fairly or reasonably reflect Boral's value, especially considering its billion-dollar surplus property portfolio. Seven Group's offer of US$6.05 per share could potentially rise to US$6.25, but an independent expert from Grant Samuel has assessed Boral's fair value between US$4.24 and US$4.65 per share.
Seven Group's CEO, Ryan Stokes, said “We obviously disagree with their assessment strongly.”
Currently, Seven Group holds 71.6% of Boral and is offering a mix of cash and shares for the remaining stake, with potential incremental increases based on share acquisition levels and board recommendations.
Anthony Aboud, deputy head of equities at Perpetual, said "Our view is that Boral owns a unique and hard to replicate set of assets with an excellent management team led by Vik Bansal which is early on in its turnaround strategy."
A spokesperson for Boral said "We have carefully evaluated the Seven offer and recommend that shareholders should reject the Seven offer as it undervalues Boral. The independent expert has concluded that the Seven offer is neither fair nor reasonable, supporting the bid response committee's view. We encourage shareholders to remain with Boral and fully participate in the future value available through continued direct ownership of Boral."
