Emaar unit is said to plan IPO at premium of as much as 20%
DUBAI: Emaar Properties PJSC is expected to offer shares in its United Arab Emirates development business at a 10% to 20% premium to the unit’s net asset value, according to three people familiar with the plans.
The lead managers on the initial public offering are estimating Emaar Development LLC’s fair value at between 26 billion dirhams (US$7.1bil) and 33 billion dirhams (US$9bil), sources said. A 10% to 20% premium would imply an offer price of 6.63 dirhams to 7.23 dirhams a share, according to Bloomberg calculations.
A spokesman for Emaar said the company wouldn’t comment on rumours or speculation.
Emaar Properties, which spearheaded a building boom in the emirate over the past 15 years and built the world’s tallest skyscraper in Dubai, will sell 800 million shares, or 20% of its real-estate development business, starting Nov 2. The sale will close on Nov 15 and the company expects to announce final pricing a day later. Shares will be listed on the Dubai Financial Market on Nov 22.
Emaar said on Oct 22 the unit had a net asset value at 24.1 billion dirhams at the end of September, or 6.025 dirhams a share. Damac Properties Dubai Co PJSC, a competitor to Emaar, trades at a 16% premium to net asset value, according to Bloomberg calculations.
Emaar Development is targeting the distribution of aggregate dividends of no less than US$1.7bil, to be paid over the next three financial years ending December 2020. Annual dividend payments after that are expected to increase further due to lower leverage and higher expected cash flow from operations, it said.
Given its dividend plans, Emaar Development may price at the top end of the range, though the overall price range could move depending on demand, a source said. — Bloomberg