Hargreaves Lansdown (LON: HL) declined a £4.6 billion acquisition proposal from a consortium led by private equity firm CVC Capital and Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund. The offer was set at 85 pence per share for Hargreaves Lansdown on April 26, 2024.
Hargreaves Lansdown Calls It An “Undervalued Offer”
Hargreaves Lansdown’s board unanimously turned down the buyout offer, stating it undervalued the company and its future outlook.
The consortium has to declare a clear intention to make an offer for Hargreaves Lansdown or state that it has no such intention by 5 pm on 19 June 2024, as per the current rule. Nevertheless, the deadline may be prolonged subject to mutual consent between Hargreaves Lansdown and the Takeover Panel.
The consortium consisted of private equity firms Nordic Capital and Platinum Ivy, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, alongside the two major players. Nordic Capital also stated that the consortium is contemplating a potential offer. Concurrently, Hargreaves Lansdown’s board recommended shareholders not to take any action. Nordic and Hargreaves emphasized that there is no guarantee of a firm offer being made.
Hargreaves Lansdown Has Strong Financials
Hargreaves Lansdown is a publicly traded financial services company that offers funds, shares, and various investment products to retail investors in the UK. The firm generated revenue of £199.7 million in the first quarter of 2024, marking its highest figure in the past year, outperforming Q4 2023 at £184.4 million and Q1 2023 at £188.1 million, as reported by The Finance Line.
The company saw a rise in monthly share dealing volumes, hitting 794,000 from 672,000 in the prior quarter and 770K in the same period the year before. Additionally, it gained 34,000 new clients in three months, marking a 47% increase from the same period last year, bringing the total active clients to 1,858,000.