Mid-Cap

Has Alinta Energy Float joined the club of overcautious IPOs of the year?

November 21, 2016 | Team Kalkine
Has Alinta Energy Float joined the club of overcautious IPOs of the year?

Alinta Energy is a leading supplier of utilities such as natural gas & electricity to many households in Australia and New Zealand. The company is estimated to have more than 790,000 retail customers in the two countries with an owned and contracted power generation portfolio of around 1,800 MW. The company operates seven power stations across Australia and New Zealand in addition to operating Australia’s largest contracted gas generation portfolio. In 2010, U.S. private-equity firm TPG Capital acquired about 30 percent stake in Alinta by buying its debt and equity for A$650 million. According to sources, the private equity firm has been wanting to cash in on its investments for quite some time, due to uncertainty in demand for these assets as consumers were gradually switching to the greener solar energy solutions leading to an impact on traditional operators and stifling earnings for a large number of retailers. As part of its strategy, the firm was exploring the possibility of either selling out or putting a float for its share in the power generation business.
 
During this year, the news doing the rounds was that Alinta Energy was planning for a float of more than $3 billion, with investment banks Macquarie, Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs expected to be the joint lead managers for the deal. However, the proposed float has been forced to be delayed to the first quarter of 2017 due to a sharp increase in market volatility following the unexpected outcome of the US presidential election. According to sources, the owners were contemplating on releasing the prospectus for Alinta, which was valued at around A$3 billion ($2.3 billion) including debt, but decided to hold back until the results of the US elections were declared. This somehow now joins the group of IPOs who have either delayed or repriced the offer looking at the external challenging factors.
 
According to an e-mailed statement from a company spokesman, “As flagged, this decision was made due to the potential for market volatility following the U.S. election and the proximity to Christmas. Investor interest has been strong, and the shareholders believe the rescheduling will allow for the best outcome for the current and future owners of the business.” Further information about the float will only be available next year as the company looks to position itself to be listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). The coordinators and managers for the proposed float include UBS, Macquarie, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs.


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