London Stock Exchange Group plc
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR
DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR
INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A
VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH
JURISDICTION
1 May 2024
***
Variation of lock-up
arrangements and off-market purchase of shares
London Stock Exchange Group plc
("LSEG" or the
"Company")
announces today that it has agreed with York Holdings III Limited
("York Holdings
III") (an entity owned by BCP York Holdings (Delaware) L.P.
(an entity owned by a consortium of certain investment funds
affiliated with Blackstone Inc. and including an affiliate of
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, an affiliate of GIC Special
Investments Pte. Ltd. and certain other co-investors)
("BCP York"),
Thomson Reuters and certain other minority holders) (BCP York,
together with York Holdings II Limited ("York Holdings II") and York Holdings
III, the "Consortium" and York Holdings II and
York Holdings III together, the "York Entities") to make an off-market
purchase of 5,701,722 ordinary shares of 679/86 pence
each in the Company from York Holdings III for a total
consideration of approximately £500 million (the "Off-Market Purchase") pursuant to
the terms of the amended contract entered into between the Company
and the Consortium (the "Directed Buyback Contract") that was
approved by the shareholders of the Company at its annual general
meeting held on 25 April 2024.
The Off-Market Purchase is being
made on a standalone basis and the purchase price payable by the
Company is 8,769.28 pence per share (representing a 0.8 per cent.
discount to the market price of the Company's ordinary shares as at
the close of trading today), in accordance with the terms of the
Directed Buyback Contract. The Off-Market Purchase will
complete the £1 billion of share buybacks the Company previously
indicated it expected to execute during 2024.
In accordance with LR 9.6.17R of the
Listing Rules, LSEG notes that it has agreed to a limited variation
of the lock-up arrangements contained in the Relationship Agreement
entered into on completion of the Refinitiv transaction to enable
the sale of the ordinary shares by York Holdings III to be made in
connection with the Off-Market Purchase.
The Consortium is a related party of
the Company for the purposes of the Listing Rules of the Financial
Conduct Authority (the "Listing Rules"). As a result of other
purchases of LSEG shares by the Company from the York Entities made
within the previous 12 months (including off-market purchases which
the Company announced on 7 September 2023 and 6 March 2024 and in
connection with the Company's on-market share buyback programme
which completed on 10 July 2023) the Off-Market Purchase is
classified as a smaller related party transaction under LR 11.1.10R
of the Listing Rules. As a result, a sponsor's
written confirmation has been obtained by the Company from Lazard
& Co., Limited ("Lazard") pursuant to LR 11.1.10R(2)(b)
in its capacity as the Company's sponsor stating that the terms of
the Off-Market Purchase are fair and reasonable as far as the
Company's shareholders are concerned. In providing advice to
the Directors of the Company, Lazard has taken into account the
Directors' commercial assessments of the
Transaction.
The Company will make a further
announcement upon completion of the Off-Market Purchase.
-
Ends -
For further information, please
contact:
London Stock Exchange Group plc
|
|
Lucie Holloway, Rhiannon Davies
(Media)
|
+44 (0)20
7797 1222
ir@lseg.com
|
Peregrine Riviere
(Investors)
|
Lazard, which is authorised and regulated in the United
Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority, is acting exclusively
as financial adviser to LSEG (the "Company") and no one else in
connection with the Off-Market Purchase and will not be responsible
to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections
afforded to clients of Lazard nor for providing advice in relation
to the Off-Market Purchase or any other matters referred to in this
announcement or otherwise. Neither Lazard nor any of its affiliates
owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever
(whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under
statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Lazard
in connection with the Off-Market Purchase, this announcement, any
statement contained herein or otherwise.