Within a very short period of time Symrise AG successfully completed the capital increase from authorized capital announced on the previous evening. The Company used an accelerated bookbuilding procedure to place 11,150,000 new shares with institutional investors.
The shares were offered at an issue price of € 36 per share. Symrise intends to use the funds raised by the issue to partially finance the planned takeover of the Diana Group.
“We are delighted with the positive response from investors to our capital increase. We regard this as a strong signal of confidence in the strategy being pursued by Symrise and in the planned acquisition of the Diana Group. With the capital increase we have successfully completed the first element of the refinancing of the acquisition within a very short time,” said Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Bertram, Chairman of the Executive Board of Symrise AG.
The capital increase from authorized capital was made on the basis of the authorization of the Executive Board approved by the Annual General Meeting dated 14 May 2013 and excluding pre-emptive rights. It is scheduled for entry in the Commercial Register on 15 May 2014. The capital increase will raise the share capital of Symrise AG from € 118,173,300 to € 129,323,300. The new shares will be eligible for a dividend from 1 January 2014. They are expected to be admitted for trading on the Regulated Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on 15 May 2014 while at the same time being admitted to the Prime Standard. The shares are expected to be included in the existing listing on 16 May 2014.
Subject to registration of the implementation of the capital increase in the Company Register, Symrise will receive gross proceeds amounting to around € 400 million. These funds will be used to partially finance the acquisition of the Diana Group announced on 12 April 2014. With the acquisition of Diana Group which is based in Vannes, France, Symrise will significantly expand its Flavor & Nutrition business, intensify the backward integration of raw materials and expand into the highly attractive market segment for pet food. The planned acquisition will be financed through a combination of equity and debt.
