Is Tat Hong courting another takeover offer?

Acquirers may need to take on its debt obligations.

Another potential takeover offer may be on the horizon for Tat Hong, according to a report by OCBC.

Tat Hong announced on 15 March that they were approached with regards to a potential transaction “which may or may not lead to an acquisition of the issued share capital of the Company.”

Citing Bloomberg, OCBC notes that the Ng family holds a combined stake of about 56%.

Moreover, following a general drop in share price, Tat Hong has since gained 14.5 cents yesterday on markedly higher volume, effectively incorporating a takeover premium.

OCBC also notes that the group has been in process of spinning off its tower crane rental business, which operates in China, on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

As of 31 December 2015, Tat Hong had a net debt to equity position of about 0.72x, which could be a concern for acquirers whom would likely need to take on its debt obligations.

Nonetheless, discussions are preliminary and there is no certainty that the discussions would result in a transaction.
 

Join Singapore Business Review community
Join Singapore Business Review community
A NOTE FROM SINGAPORE BUSINESS REVIEW

Reaching the people who run Asia's businesses is harder than it used to be.

Inboxes are crowded. Attention is short. The executives you most want to reach — the founders, CFOs, and operators who actually move budgets — are the hardest to find through the usual channels. If you're building a company, a category, or a reputation, you already know this.

We've spent twenty years building the room they read. Singapore Business Review is where senior decision makers in Singapore and across Southeast Asia come for business coverage they can't get elsewhere — in print, online, and in person at the summits and roundtables we host across seven markets.

If you have something these readers should know about — a point of view worth publishing, a product worth their attention, an event worth their time — we'd like to hear what you're trying to do.