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Opinion: What will happen to YBR?

by James Mitchell11 minute read
YBR, Yellow Brick Road, Mark Bouris, Mercantile OFM

Following Mercantile OFM’s low-ball takeover bid for Yellow Brick Road, we consider what the future holds for the brokerage and wealth group.

Late on Monday, Mercantile OFM (a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercantile Investment Company) submitted a takeover offer to YBR which would see it acquire shares at 9 cents a piece, a discount of 3.2 per cent. This valued the entire business at around $25 million.

Mercantile is chaired by Sir Ron Brierley, a renowned value trader whose investment vehicle has been creeping up YBR’s register over the last few months.

Mercantile has replaced Macquarie as a significant shareholder of the wealth management company and now holds more than 56 million shares with a voting power of 19.97 per cent.

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Sources close to the situation agree that it isn’t YBR’s wealth business that Mercantile is interested in, but rather the group’s mortgage assets.

Industry insiders told ifa that Mercantile will be eager to salvage the Vow Financial aggregation business, which has a loan book valued at $35.2 billion and was acquired in 2014 for $17.6 million.

YBR snapped up mortgage manager Resi Mortgage for $36 million in the same year.

The total YBR book is currently valued at around $50 billion.

In its 2017 annual report, YBR’s wealth business claimed to have $1.5 billion of funds under management.

While the takeover bid could be viewed as a formality, given the size of Mercantile position, YBR executive chairman and founder Mark Bouris believes it is a value play and has advised shareholders not to take any action.

Mr Bouris said that the bid is “unsolicited” and “materially undervalues the existing and future value of the company”.

“It is opportunistic in its nature, timing and pricing,” the founder said.

In a trading update, the YBR boss informed shareholders that a fully considered recommendation by YBR’s board, along with the company’s target’s statement, will be provided in due course.

“In the meantime, the YBR directors advise YBR shareholders not to take any action whatsoever regarding their YBR shares in response to the takeover bid,” the company said.

A takeover offer by Mercantile has sparked questions over what could happen to YBR should the deal go through.

Industry sources are confident that, should the takeover occur, YBR will be carved up and sold off, given the nature of Mr Brierley’s long history of arbitrage. A 2011 New Zealand Herald article gives some insight into the type of investor he is.

The article noted that Mr Brierley “still scours company reports for hidden value” and quotes the 81-year-old as stating: “There’s not much left in New Zealand for a start. I can’t complain because it was BIL [Brierley Investments Ltd] that literally ripped out the core of traditional companies there. But if we hadnt done it, someone else would have.”

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