Top Stories
Hipgnosis shareholder plans to derail music catalogue sale
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
(Reuters) – A shareholder of Hipgnosis Songs Fund is looking to scuttle the company’s $465 million deal to sell some of its music catalogues to a group backed by private equity firm Blackstone.
(Reuters) – A shareholder of Hipgnosis Songs Fund is looking to scuttle the company’s $465 million deal to sell some of its music catalogues to a group backed by private equity firm Blackstone.
In a letter to shareholders on Monday, Asset Value Investors (AVI) said it would vote against the deal and asked fellow investors to do the same, citing “uncompetitive nature” of the process and lack of an “up-to-date valuation” that made it unlikely to be the best deal for them.
AVI manages a 5% stake in the music investor on behalf of its institutional clients.
Last month, Hipgnosis announced it would sell 29 music catalogues – including songs by pop star Shakira and rapper Nelly, and a collection of non-core songs – to a partnership between the company’s investment adviser and funds advised by Blackstone.
The company, which also owns rights to songs by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Neil Young, had said the deal would help fund a share buyback, pay down debt and bolster its stock price.
“In time, against a more accommodating market backdrop, a sale of part of the portfolio or the company, may well be judged to be in the best interests of all shareholders,” AVI said in the letter.
Shares of Hipgnosis were down 10.8% at 66 pence by 1113 GMT after the company withdrew its proposed interim dividend earlier in the day. They have lost over 20% of their value since the deal was announced.
Hipgnosis did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on AVI’s remarks.
(Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva)
A shareholder is an individual or institution that owns shares in a company, representing a claim on part of the company's assets and earnings.
A music catalogue refers to a collection of musical works owned by an individual or entity, which can include songs, albums, and other related rights.
Private equity is a form of investment where funds are directly invested in private companies or public companies that are taken private, often involving significant restructuring.
A share buyback is when a company purchases its own shares from the marketplace, reducing the number of outstanding shares and often increasing the value of remaining shares.
An interim dividend is a payment made to shareholders before a company's annual earnings are finalized, typically based on the company's performance during the first half of the fiscal year.
Explore more articles in the Top Stories category
