![]() Rio has spent much of the past decade appeasing shareholders with record dividends as it focused on making cash from its sprawling iron ore mines. ![]() But it failed to develop the project as planned and the unit was sold for $50-million following huge impairments. Then in 2011, Rio bought Mozambique coal producer Riversdale Mining for $3.7-billion in a rushed deal. It forced Rio to take almost $30-billion in writedowns and ultimately cost the CEO at the time his job. Described as the worst deal in mining history, it soured as aluminum demand slid during the global financial crisis and Chinese supply flooded the market. It blew them both out of the water with a $38-billion cash offer that sent its debt spiraling. Rio insiders say the view inside the company is clear that its credibility would suffer if were to raise its bid.ĭisastrous past deals highlight the importance of that credibility.Īt the height of the commodity supercycle in 2007, Rio entered a bidding war with Vale and Alcoa for Canadian aluminum maker Alcan. Rio has repeatedly said it has made its best and final offer for Turquoise Hill. Bahamas-based Caravel Capital lodged a complaint with Quebec’s securities regulator and Caravel fund manager Jeff Banfield said other, larger shareholders made similar complaints.įaced with investor pressure, Quebec’s securities regulator asked Turquoise Hill to delay the acquisition vote indefinitely as it studies whether the agreement is legal, injecting fresh uncertainty into the deal. It did however anger some minority shareholders who felt SailingStone and Pentwater would get a sweeter deal. The move meant the holdout investors wouldn’t have to back down while allowing the deal to go ahead, all without Rio raising its bid and also avoiding a massively diluted rights issue. It then struck a side deal with SailingStone and Pentwater where the two investors agreed to withhold their votes in exchange for C$34.40 a share - well below the C$43 offer price - with an arbitration process to decide a final price. With Rio facing defeat, it got the vote pulled at the last minute. Rio countered that by warning that if Turquoise Hill shareholders didn’t accept the offer, they faced having to stump up billions in the next two years to fund Oyu Tolgoi’s development. An influential advisory firm also echoed that view. “If you’re struggling to do deals like this it doesn’t bode well.”ĭespite winning board approval for the September offer, Pentwater Capital Management and SailingStone Capital Partners - which combined hold about 16% of Turquoise Hill’s outstanding stock - opposed the deal on the grounds that it undervalues Turquoise Hill. “Rio is not as diversified as its peers and the ability to grow away from iron ore just isn’t there without deals,” Liberum analyst Ben Davis said. Crucially, a deal would also show that CEO Jakob Stausholm can secure growth without destroying shareholder value. Plus, a deal earlier this year with the Mongolian government removed much of the political risk around Oyu Tolgoi. The metal is among Rio’s favored commodities and an essential part of the global green push - and once the underground component of the mine is completed, it would help the producer to close the gap on its biggest copper rivals. ![]() It would allow the company to consolidate control over the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine, which could become one of the world’s biggest. ![]() Rio’s September offer to buy out the 49% stake in Turquoise Hill it doesn’t already own - at improved terms from a bid earlier in the year - makes a lot of sense for a return to major dealmaking.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |