Bureau Veritas Undertakes a Buyback of c.0.8% of Its Shares Under the Accelerated Placement Announced by Wendel
04 Aprile 2024 - 8:23PM
Business Wire
Bureau Veritas, a global leader
in the Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) industry,
today announces its decision to acquire from Wendel a block of its
own shares – which will amount to a maximum of EUR 100 million and
represent circa 0.8% of its capital. This buyback is carried out by
way of participation in the accelerated bookbuilding process to
institutional investors, including Lac1, managed by Bpifrance, as
announced by Wendel today. The transaction has been approved
unanimously by the independent directors.
Wendel remains Bureau Veritas’ largest shareholder after the
completion of this transaction, with c.26% of the share capital and
c.41% of the voting rights. Lac1, managed by Bpifrance, will become
a new cornerstone investor with c.4% of the share capital.
IMPLEMENTATION OF A BUYBACK BY THE COMPANY OF 0.8% OF ITS OWN
SHARES
Following today's announcement by Wendel of its intention to
sell c.18 million Bureau Veritas shares representing approximately
9% of the share capital - a total consideration amount of up to EUR
1.1 billion - by way of an accelerated bookbuilding process, Bureau
Veritas announces that it has undertaken to participate by placing
an irrevocable purchase order, at the placement price, for its own
shares (representing approximately 0.8% of its share capital) for a
maximum total amount of EUR 100 million. This order is part of the
share buyback program authorized by Bureau Veritas shareholders at
the Annual General Meeting of June 22, 2023, and which the Board of
Directors decided to implement at its meeting of April 3, 2024.
The share buyback price will be equal to the price resulting
from the placement procedure and the building of the order book.
The Company will not participate in the determination of the price
resulting from the order book.
With this buyback, the Company is making significant progress on
its objective, announced at the time of the presentation of its
strategic plan on March 20, 2024, of purchasing its own shares
under the buyback program for a maximum amount of EUR 200 million
in 2024. This buyback will accelerate the objective of improving
returns to shareholders by increasing earnings per share.
The buyback will be financed in cash from the Group's available
cash, and will not affect the Company's ability to implement the
announced strategic plan, or its development and financing
capacities.
In accordance with the purpose of the share buyback program
approved by the Annual General Meeting, the shares bought back will
be used for cancellation purposes and for any other purposes
authorized by the Company’s shareholders at the Annual General
Meeting of June 22, 2023.
ACQUISITION OF A STAKE IN THE COMPANY BY LAC1, MANAGED BY
BPIFRANCE
Lac1, managed by Bpifrance, has announced its intention to
acquire a c.4% stake in the Company's capital as part of the
disposal transaction initiated by Wendel.
On April 3, 2024, the Board of Directors has authorized the
execution of an agreement to be entered into between Lac1, managed
by Bpifrance, and the Company, pursuant to which it will be agreed
that following Lac1’s acquisition of a stake in the Company, the
Board of Directors will propose the appointment of Bpifrance as an
independent director at the Board of Directors of Bureau Veritas in
compliance with the parity rules or, if such an appointment cannot
be made immediately, as an observer.
Hinda Gharbi, Chief Executive Officer of Bureau Veritas,
commented: “The transaction demonstrates both our strong confidence
in Bureau Veritas’ growth potential and our commitment to
increasing shareholder returns as presented during our Capital
Markets Day held on March 20th, 2024. I thank Wendel for their
continuous and active support, and I am delighted to welcome Lac1,
managed by Bpifrance, a strong French institutional investor, as a
new significant shareholder of Bureau Veritas and a member of the
Company’s board of directors.”
About Bureau Veritas
Bureau Veritas is a world leader in inspection, certification,
and laboratory testing services with a powerful purpose: to shape a
world of trust by ensuring responsible progress.
With a vision to be the preferred partner for customers’
excellence and sustainability, the company innovates to help them
navigate change.
Created in 1828, Bureau Veritas’ 83,000 employees deliver
services in 140 countries. The company’s technical experts support
customers to address challenges in quality, health and safety,
environmental protection, and sustainability.
Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the
CAC 40 ESG, CAC Next 20, SBF 120 indices and is part of the CAC SBT
1.5° index. Compartment A, ISIN code FR 0006174348, stock symbol:
BVI.
For more information, visit www.bureauveritas.com, and follow us
on X/Twitter (@bureauveritas) and LinkedIn.
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ANALYST/INVESTOR Laurent Brunelle +33 (0)1 55 24
76 09 laurent.brunelle@bureauveritas.com Colin Verbrugghe
+33 (0)1 55 24 77 80 colin.verbrugghe@bureauveritas.com Karine
Ansart +33 (0)1 55 24 76 19 karine.ansart@bureauveritas.com
MEDIA Anette Rey +33 (0) 6 69 79 84 88
anette.rey@bureauveritas.com
Grafico Azioni Bureau Veritas (EU:BVI)
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Da Nov 2024 a Dic 2024
Grafico Azioni Bureau Veritas (EU:BVI)
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Da Dic 2023 a Dic 2024