Business Insurance

Login  |  Register Subscribe



Takeover Premiums on the Menu as Early 2022 M&A Activity Looking to Surpass 2021

FN Media Group Presents USA News Group News Commentary

 

Vancouver, BC – March 28, 2022 – USA News Group  –  After M&A activity rose by 64% on the previous year, 2021 set a record last year with a massive $5.9 trillion in deals. Now analysts at Morgan Stanley are projecting 2022’s M&A Outlook will show continued strength after 2021’s record year. So far in 2022, this wave of takeovers with premium prices includes the acquisitions of Alleghany Corporation (NYSE:Y) by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-A, BRK-B), Mandiant, Inc. (NASDAQ:MNDT) by Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG, GOOGL), and Petroteq Energy, Inc. (OTCPK:PQEFF) (TSXV:PQE) by Viston United Swiss AG.

 

Seeing value in its operations supporting cleaning up the oil and gas industry in North America, Viston United Swiss AG made a premium offer for clean technology company Petroteq Energy, Inc. (OTC:PQEFF) (TSXV:PQE).

 

Petroteq specializes in oil production, having developed proprietary technologies that enable the company to produce oil without water, waste tailings ponds and emissions. In addition to sustainable oil production, their technology cleans oil sands of all hydrocarbons, creating a purified sand as part of an overall ESG strategy.

 

At its offered C$0.74 price point, the takeover represents to shareholders approximately 279% over the closing price of the Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange on August 6, 2021. That’s a 1,032% premium over the 52-week volume weighted average trading price on the TSX-V prior to the offer originally made in April 2021.

 

The offer itself is also a 100% all-cash consideration, representing an instant payback to current shareholders. Currently, through its US shares on the OTC under the PQEFF symbol, shares of Petroteq are trading around US$0.3505 (C$0.44) on March 21, 2022. At that price point, the C$0.74 still represents a potential 68% premium over the more current trading price.

 

Already earlier this year, Petroteq’s Board Members shared their unanimous intention to tender their shares through the offer.

 

“We are particularly pleased with the recognition this shows of our technology which we have taken from inception to commercial viability as a one of its kind in oil sands eco-friendly, green extraction,” said former Petroteq Chairman and CEO, Dr. Gerald Bailey, who retired in January. “We had always forecast a great future. However, we respect the value of this offer to shareholders and if it can be achieved it will reward our many dedicated supporters.”

 

According to a third-party report by Broadlands released in February, economic analysis focused on the markets available for Petroteq’s sale of the three categories of by-product sands.

 

As per the report, an extraction plant producing 5,000 bpd is estimated to be capable of yielding 6,000 tons of sand per day or 1,860,000 tons per year, and that silica flour is postulated to be 15% of the saleable product, fracking quality sand 55%, and bulk sand 30%.

 

The economic forecast is based on 20 years of sales from such a 5,000 bpd operation, following two years for construction and start-up of the extraction plant and sands processing facility and related infrastructure.

 

Broadlands evaluation report provides the potential economic benefit from the sale of sands is significant and provides an attractive enhancement to the value of the extraction process further enhances the forecast value of the Petroteq extraction technology,” said Petroteq’s CTO and Interim CEO, Dr. Vladimir Podlipskiy. “The Petroteq operation can produce “green” energy with high quality oil extraction, while also remediating the oily sand and turning it into a useable, marketable resource.”

 

Moving ahead into the likely acquisition by Viston, Petroteq has announced its willingness to assist the buyer with its CFIUS filings.

 

Shares of Alleghany Corporation (NYSE:Y) surged upon news of a takeover by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-A, BRK-B)—jumping nearly 25% in premarket trading on the first day after the weekend.

 

The insurer agreed to be acquired by Berkshire Hathaway for approximately $11.6 billion, wherein Alleghany investors are set to receive $848.02 per share in cash—which is nearly 15% above the stock’s 52-week high of $737.89 reached last May, and above the all-time high of $847.95 Alleghany hit in February 2020.

 

Unlike the clearer value upgrade for Petroteq shareholders mentioned above, there’s seemingly less clarity with the Berkshire Hathaway deal. While on the surface the 1.26x takeover price compared to Alleghany’s year-end 2021 year-end book value of $675.58, analysts are skeptical of the benefit to Alleghany shareholders.

 

“This a great deal for Berkshire, and mediocre for Alleghany,” said Charles Frischer, a longtime investor in both Berkshire and Alleghany. “It’s accretive to Berkshire’s intrinsic value and Berkshire gets a potential successor to Ajit Jain.”

 

According to data compiled by Bloomberg, the transaction is Berkshire’s largest since its US$37.2 billion, including debt acquisition of Precision Castparts in 2016.

 

There is a 25-day go-shop period, and it is possible that Alleghany could attract interest from other bidders.

 

Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG, GOOGL) recently announced its intent to purchase cyber security leader Mandiant, Inc. (NASDAQ:MNDT) (previously known as FireEye) for $5.4 billion, inclusive of Mandiant’s net cash—marking Google’s second largest acquisition in company history.

 

As per the deal, Google LLC pays out $23 per share in an all-cash transaction, which came as a nearly 19% premium over the $19.38 price point Mandiant shares were trading at over the weekend before trading recommenced on the following Monday.

 

“It’s an extraordinary player in cybersecurity,” said Alphabet CFO Rush Porat of Mandiant. “It is going to enable us to provide this end-to-end solution in this very important area and, again, it goes to our commitment around cybersecurity but also all we’re doing in cloud.”

 

With the deal, Mandiant’s customer base includes leading U.S. government agencies, the company said in its most recent annual report. For example, in 2020, then known as FireEye, the company said it was working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on a cyberattack.

 

For more information go to: https://usanewsgroup.com/2022/03/25/this-quick-turnaround-takeover-is-the-kind-of-play-smart-investors-snap-up-in-a-heartbeat/

 

Article Source: 

USA News Group
http://USAnewsgroup.com
info@usanewsgroup.com

  

DISCLAIMER:

 

Nothing in this publication should be considered as personalized financial advice. We are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular financial situation. No communication by our employees to you should be deemed as personalized financial advice. Please consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decision. This is a paid advertisement and is neither an offer nor recommendation to buy or sell any security. We hold no investment licenses and are thus neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice. The content in this report or email is not provided to any individual with a view toward their individual circumstances. USA News Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market IQ Media Group, Inc. (“MIQ”). MIQ has been paid a fee for PetroTeq Energy Inc. advertising and digital media from Maynard Communication Limited. There may be 3rd parties who may have shares of PetroTeq Energy Inc., and may liquidate their shares which could have a negative effect on the price of the stock. This compensation constitutes a conflict of interest as to our ability to remain objective in our communication regarding the profiled company. Because of this conflict, individuals are strongly encouraged to not use this publication as the basis for any investment decision. The owner/operator of MIQ DOES NOT own any shares of PetroTeq Energy Inc. MIQ will not buy or sell shares of PetroTeq Energy Inc. for a minimum of 72 hours from the time of this distribution (Monday, March 28, 2022), but reserve the right to buy and sell, and will buy and sell shares of PetroTeq Energy Inc. at any time thereafter without any further notice. We also expect further compensation as an ongoing digital media effort to increase visibility for the company, no further notice will be given, but let this disclaimer serve as notice that all material disseminated by MIQ on/about PetroTeq Energy Inc. has been reviewed and approved by the principals at PetroTeq Energy Inc.; this is a paid advertisement, and while we do not currently own shares of PetroTeq Energy Inc., we plan on buying and selling shares of PetroTeq Energy Inc. in the open market. While all information is believed to be reliable, it is not guaranteed by us to be accurate. Individuals should assume that all information contained in our newsletter is not trustworthy unless verified by their own independent research. Also, because events and circumstances frequently do not occur as expected, there will likely be differences between the any predictions and actual results. Always consult a licensed investment professional before making any investment decision. Be extremely careful, investing in securities carries a high degree of risk; you may likely lose some or all of the investment.

 

USA News Group is Source of all content listed above.  FN Media Group, LLC (FNM), is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with USA News Group or any company mentioned herein.  The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release by USA News Group are solely those of USA News Group and are not shared by and do not reflect in any manner the views or opinions of FNM.  FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers.  FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination and financial marketing solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security.  FNM was not compensated by any public company mentioned herein to disseminate this press release.

 

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected,” “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company’s annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

 

Media Contact Information:
FN Media Group, LLC
Media Contact e-mail:
editor@financialnewsmedia.com
U.S. Phone: +1(954)345-0611

 

SOURCE USA News Group

The post Takeover Premiums on the Menu as Early 2022 M&A Activity Looking to Surpass 2021 appeared first on Financial News Media.

Data & News supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Stock quotes supplied by Barchart
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

Business Insurance Webinars & Webcasts

August 12: "Get Retrofit: Insurance Savings from Property Upgrades"

August 7: "Friends & Foes: Best Practices for Social Media Risk Management"

August 17: "Supply Chain Crisis?Navigating Business Interruption Coverage and Claims After the Japanese Earthquakes"

September 8: "Dormant Dangers: Protecting Key Corporate Assets from Cyber Attacks"

View all webcasts & webinars


Business Insurance Upcoming Issues

Aug. 22/29: Industry Financials: First-Half Results
Health Care Reform: Impact on Firms

September 5: Special Report: Alternative Risks

September 12: Workers Comp & Safety Management

View editorial calendar
Subscribe to Business Insurance