2ND UPDATE: AXA Asia Pacific Board Split On Bid From AMP
November 15 2010 - 9:18PM
Dow Jones News
The A$13 billion bid for AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd. (AXA.AU)
hit a possible stumbling block Tuesday when the target's board
failed to reach a unanimous agreement on the offer.
AXA Asia Pacific said five of its six independent directors have
decided to recommend the bid from AXA SA (AXAHY) and AMP Ltd.
(AMP.AU) in the absence of a superior offer and subject to an
independent assessment.
One of the directors is seeking further information before
deciding whether to back the proposal, the company said.
The bid is conditional on unanimous approval from the
independent directors, yet investors remain hopeful the takeover
will go ahead.
"Given five of the six have said yes, I'd be surprised if it
doesn't go through," said Peter Vann, head of research at
Constellation Capital Management. "If the sixth has a valid
concern, then the other five probably wouldn't have gone the way
they did."
At 0150 GMT, AXA APH shares were up 1.3% at A$6.25 in a slightly
weaker overall market.
Under the proposal, AXA APH minority shareholders would receive
AMP shares and cash worth at least A$6.43 for each AXA APH share,
subject to the movement of the AMP share price within a certain
band.
AXA APH Chairman Rick Allert is among the directors who support
the offer.
"A majority of the independent directors believe AMP and AXA
SA's proposal provides minority shareholders with appropriate value
for their investment in AXA APH, supported by significant downside
protection," Allert said in a statement.
"As a result, we believe the proposal is in the best interests
of AXA APH minority shareholders," he said.
A deal would be a coup for AMP, whose previous bid was rejected
by the target in favor of an all-cash offer from National Australia
Bank Ltd. (NAB) in December.
The NAB deal was later blocked by the Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission, which said it wouldn't oppose a takeover by
AMP.
AXA APH said the offer represents a 50% premium to the A$4.30
closing share price of the target on Nov. 6, 2009, the last trading
day prior to the announcement of the initial proposal from AMP and
AXA SA.
-By Rebecca Thurlow, Dow Jones Newswires; 61-2-8272-4679;
rebecca.thurlow@dowjones.com
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