Flughafen Wien AG (FLU) owns world-class property – together with Vienna Worldwide Airport, which dealt with some 32 million passengers within the yr previous to covid. However it’s a unusual inventory. Roughly 40% of the corporate is owned by state and native governments in Austria. One other 10% is held in a employees belief that distributes dividends as bonuses to a lot of the airport’s employees. An extra 40% is owned by IFM International Infrastructure Fund (IFM). That leaves simply 10% of the corporate’s shares as free float, listed on the Vienna Inventory Trade and accessible to be owned by the broader investing public. Our worldwide fund is one such shareholder.
IFM is a large investor in infrastructure (and different property) on behalf of “world-leading pension funds”, a lot of it Australian business tremendous fund cash. It acquired its present stake in Flughafen Wien by way of takeover presents in 2014 and 2016. We purchased into the inventory later in 2016, after IFM’s second provide, eyes large open to the illiquid nature of the funding. However month-to-month buying and selling liquidity within the inventory has greater than halved over the interval of our possession.
We’ve lengthy thought the top sport right here was a squeeze out of minority shareholders by IFM. Coping with the liquidity concern and defending minority pursuits is thus a very essential function for the board of Flughafen Wien. That’s a message we’ve persistently given to the board and administration, each formally and informally, stretching again a minimum of three years.
But right here we’re. Final week, IFM launched a compulsory takeover provide for all remaining shares in Flughafen Wien. That’s actually focused on the 10% free float solely, authorities shareholders received’t be promoting.
Insufficient worth a Catch-22
The value supplied, €33 per share, is completely insufficient. It represents a a number of of barely 8 instances earnings earlier than curiosity, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) from 2019 (the final yr earlier than the Covid-19 interruptions). For reference, funds managed by the identical IFM paid 23 instances 2019 EBITDA to amass all of Sydney Airport not too long ago. There hasn’t been an airport takeover transaction globally prior to now decade struck at lower than 10 instances EBITDA. Greater European metropolis monopoly airport transactions cluster round 15 instances. A “honest” worth for Flughafen Wien shares, in our opinion, begins at about €45 per share.
Most of the minority shareholders, ourselves included, will contemplate the €33 per share provide unfair, after which give critical consideration to promoting anyway. That’s as a result of this inventory, as illiquid because it has turn out to be, is about to get an entire lot much less liquid as IFM soaks up extra or all the remaining free float. It’s a Catch-22 for minorities, with IFM as beneficiary.
The administrators have to do one thing about it.
A couple of concepts
There are lifelike avenues for a fairer end result right here. A buyback of minority shareholders’ pursuits at a fairer worth by Flughafen Wien itself may make a whole lot of sense. It could preserve the present stability between the bigger shareholders, which may be essential to the federal government shareholders specifically. It may add important worth to their funding via earnings accretion and value reductions as the corporate delists. It’d provide a “much less worse” worth for minorities and positively wouldn’t stretch the corporate’s stability sheet, which is ridiculously undergeared.
And, whereas we’re neither legal professionals nor adept German audio system, the Austrian Transformation Act (Umwandlungsgesetz) – often known as a “squeeze out” provision – could apply. Whether or not legally required or not, exterior valuation is unquestionably finest follow as a place to begin right here.
There’s nonetheless water flowing beneath this bridge. We await the board’s official response to the provide, maybe they’ll do the whole lot we count on of them. However we’re not ready to remind them of their obligation to make sure a good end result for all shareholders, not simply these – like IFM – with a seat on the board.
Discover beneath a replica of our letter to the chairman of the supervisory board of Flughafen Wien, emailed Wednesday 15 June, which additional outlines our case.
