Prologis tables ‘best and final’ £14bn offer for Segro
US real estate firm Prologis has tabled a “best and final” £14bn offer for Segro, the FTSE 100 property company it has been pursuing for weeks.
The Californian property company said its latest offer, which values Segro at £10.32 per share, is a “compelling opportunity for both sets of shareholders”.
This bid marks the latest step of a lengthy takeover struggle between the two property investors, who have both traded strongly-worded barbs in an attempt to win over shareholders.
Prologis, which manages some $98bn in assets, has proposed to exchange 0.0920 shares for each Segro share, plus £3.5bn in cash.
Analysts at Stifel had previously suggested that Segro would accept a £11.10 per share offer, though this latest bid falls just short of that mark.
Segro slapped down two new bids from Prologis over the weekend, with the latest valuing the firm at £13.5bn.
Shareholders urge talks
The FTSE 100 company has not yet responded to Prologis’s latest offer. The US firm has urged Segro to extend its “put up or shut up” deadline beyond 5pm today to discuss this new offer.
Segro had previously attacked its US suitor for tabling “opportunistic, one-sided and inadequate bids”.
The companies’ management teams met on Sunday but the talks had initially failed to yield an agreement.
On Tuesday, Norges Bank – which owns 8.3 per cent of Segro and 1.3 per cent of Prologis – urged the two real estate firms to enter talks.
“We believe the proposal merits consideration, and we encourage the boards of both Segro and Prologis to enter into constructive discussions,” the $2.3 trillion fund said.
Prologis operates two joint ventures with Norges. Prologis European Logistics Partners was worth €2.4bn when it was set up in 2013, and Prologis US Logistics Venture was founded in the same year with an initial $1bn footprint.
On Wednesday, APG Asset Management – which holds 2.3 per cent of Prologis and 5.1 per cent of Segro – called on the two parties to engage in “constructive and meaningful dialogue”.
‘This is our final offer’
The tussle between the two property firms descended into a slanging match on Tuesday, as the companies exchanged blows over the ages of its chief executives.
Dan Letter, the chief executive of Prologis, said: “There is no doubt a combination of both companies would deliver meaningful value.
“We have listened to feedback from shareholders and this morning, we have improved our proposal to make a compelling offer to the SEGRO Board. We run Prologis with discipline and this is our best and final offer.”
Segro shares rose nearly four per cent on Wednesday. The stock’s value had nearly halved in the last five years but has soared in recent weeks following Prologis’s interest.