(Reuters) – A takeover bid for Malaysia Airports Holdings by a consortium comprising the country’s sovereign wealth fund and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners was deemed as viable for shareholders by the deal’s financial adviser on Friday.
“HLIB is of the view that the offer is ‘not fair’ but ‘reasonable’,” according to deal adviser Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB).
The $4.08 billion offer made by the consortium in May sought to upgrade infrastructure and improve connectivity and services, goals that would be better realized through privatisation, according to consortium members that also include Employees Provident Fund of Malaysia and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
Some directors of Malaysia Airports who weren’t interested in the deal on Friday expressed concerns regarding the valuation, growth prospects and suggested rejecting the offer.
In its recommendation on Friday, HLIB maintained the offer undervalued the company but said it gave shareholders a chance to exit their investments in the absence of an alternate offer.
(Reporting by by Yantoultra Ngui in Singapore and Roushni Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
