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Eqva ASA

Share Issue/Capital Change Oct 3, 2024

3598_iss_2024-10-03_e9381c3b-cf63-478d-92dd-2a3cd2fe425d.html

Share Issue/Capital Change

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Eqva ASA: Private placement successfully completed

Eqva ASA: Private placement successfully completed

Valen, 3 October 2024: Reference is made to the stock exchange announcement by Eqva ASA (the "Company") on 3 October 2024 (the "Announcement") regarding a contemplated private placement of new shares in the Company through an accelerated book-building process (the "Private Placement"). The Company has engaged Clarksons Securities AS and Fearnley Securities AS as joint managers and bookrunners (the "Managers") of the Private Placement.

The Company is pleased to announce that the book-building for the Private Placement has been successfully completed. The Company decided to allocate 3,125,000 offer shares (the "Offer Shares") each at a price per Offer Share of NOK 4.8 (the "Offer Price").

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Private Placement towards business expansion through cash components in M&A transactions involving companies that fit into its strategic focus, repayment of shareholder loans with up to approximately NOK 2.5 million, and for general corporate purposes. The Company is continuously looking at smaller and medium-size expansion opportunities and intends to primarily use the proceeds both for identified and future transactions.

The bookbuilding period for the Private Placement closed after close of trading on Euronext Oslo Børs today. Notifications of allotment of the Offer Shares and payment instructions are expected to be distributed to the applicants through a notification from the Managers on 4 October 2024.

The following primary insiders in the Company and close associates of primary insiders were allocated Offer Shares in the Private Placement at the Offer Price as follows: Nintor AS (close associate of Tore Thorkildsen, board member of the Company) was allocated 260,416 Offer Shares, Neve Eiendom AS (close associate of Even Matre Ellingsen, the Company's CEO) was allocated 104,166 Offer Shares, South Valley Invest AS (close associate of Petter Sørdahl, the Company's CFO) was allocated 41,666 Offer Shares.

Settlement of the Offer Shares to the investors in the Private Placement, other than to Nintor AS, is expected to take place on or about 8 October 2024 on a delivery versus payment ("DvP") basis by delivery of existing and unencumbered shares in the Company already admitted to trading on Euronext Oslo Børs to be borrowed from Nintor AS (the "Share Lender"), pursuant to a share lending agreement entered into between the Company, the Managers and the Share Lender (the "Share Lending Agreement"). The Offer Shares delivered to applicants will thus be tradable from allocation. Clarksons Securities AS (on behalf of the Managers) will settle the share loan with new shares in the Company to be resolved issued by the Board pursuant to an authorisation to increase the share capital of the Company granted by the Company’s annual general meeting on 27 June 2024 (the "Board Authorisation"). Delivery of the Offer Shares allocated to the Share Lender (the "Remaining Shares") will be made by issuance of new shares pursuant to the Board Authorisation and delivery will be made as soon as possible after registration of the share capital increase pertaining to the issue of the Remaining Shares in the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises ("NRBE") and the issue and registration of the Remaining Shares in the VPS. The Remaining Shares cannot be traded on Euronext Oslo Børs before the share capital increase pertaining to the issuance of the Remaining Shares has been registered with the NRBE.

Following registration of the share capital increase, the Company will have a share capital of NOK 3,755,615.80 divided into 75,112,316 shares, each with a par value of NOK 0.05.

The Private Placement represents a deviation from the shareholders' pre-emptive right to subscribe for and be allocated the Offer Shares. The Board has carefully considered the structure of the equity raise in light of the equal treatment obligations under the Norwegian Private Limited Companies Act, the Norwegian Securities Trading Act, the rules on equal treatment under Oslo Rule Book II for companies listed on Euronext Growth Oslo and Euronext Oslo Børs' Guidelines on the rule of equal treatment.

The Board is of the view that it will be in the common interest of the Company and its shareholders to raise equity through a private placement, in particular because the Private Placement enables the Company to fund business expansion through cash components in M&A transactions involving companies that fit into its strategic focus, and for general corporate purposes. Prior to initiating the Private Placement the Company conducted a marked sounding to gauge the investor interest from existing shareholders and further to this the offer to participate in the Private Placement have been extended through contacting shareholders representing a substantial majority of the shares in the Company’s. It has also been taken into consideration that the Private Placement is based on a publicly announced accelerated bookbuilding process. The private placement represents a limited increase in the share capital and thereby a limited dilution for existing shareholders. Maintaining a pro-rata ownership to reduce or avoid the dilutive effect is deemed feasible through market transactions.

Further, the private placement structure has reduced execution and completion risk compared to a rights issue, as it enables the Company to raise equity efficiently and in a timely manner, with a lower discount to the current trading price, at a lower cost and with a significantly reduced completion risk compared to a rights issue.

Advokatfirmaet Selmer AS is acting legal advisor to the Company.

For further information, please contact:

Even Matre Ellingsen, CEO

Phone: +47 990 05 500

Petter Sørdahl, CFO

Phone: +47 917 56 147

This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. The stock exchange announcement was published by Petter Sørdal, CFO in Eqva ASA, at the time and date stated above in this announcement.

About Eqva ASA

Eqva ASA is a knowledge-based active owner of engineering, construction and service companies that contribute to the green transition in maritime, power intensive and renewable industries.

The group has a well-diversified product and market portfolio, and further growth will be established through a combination of company-based development, utilization of synergies between the companies in the group as well as value-creating M&A activities.

Key companies in the group are BKS and Fossberg Kraft, each building on decades of experience and widely recognized by clients in a broad range of industries.

Important notice

This announcement is not and does not form a part of any offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, any securities of the Company. Copies of this announcement are not being made and may not be distributed or sent into any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful or would require registration or other measures.

The securities referred to in this announcement have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act"), and accordingly may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the US Securities Act and in accordance with applicable U.S. state securities laws. The Company does not intend to register any part of the offering in the United States or to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States. Any sale in the United States of the securities mentioned in this announcement will be made solely to "qualified institutional buyers" as defined in Rule 144A under the US Securities Act.

In any EEA Member State, this communication is only addressed to and is only directed at qualified investors in that Member State within the meaning of the EU Prospectus Regulation, i.e., only to investors who can receive the offer without an approved prospectus in such EEA Member State. The expression "EU Prospectus Regulation" means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as amended (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State). This communication is only being distributed to and is only directed at persons in the United Kingdom that are (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order") or (ii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom this announcement may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons").

This communication must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is available only for relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons. Persons distributing this communication must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so.

Matters discussed in this announcement may constitute or include certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and may include, without limitation, any statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as "aims", "anticipates", "believes", "can have", "continues", "could", "estimates", "expects", "intends", "likely", "may", "plans", "projects", "should", "target" "will", "would" and words or expressions of similar meaning or the negative thereof. These statements are based on the management’s current views and assumptions and involve both known and unknown risks and uncertainties and assumptions that are within and outside the management's control. Although the Company believes that the expectations implied in any such forward-looking statements are reasonable, no assurance can be given that such expectations will prove to be correct. Actual results, performance or events may differ materially from those set out or implied in the forward-looking statements. No representation is made that any of these forward-looking statements or forecasts will come to pass or that any forecast result will be achieved. The forward-looking statements included in this announcement represent the Company's views as of the date of this announcement and subsequent events and developments may cause the Company's views to change. The Company disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by law. Readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement.

The information, opinions and forward-looking statements contained in this announcement speak only as at its date, and are subject to change without notice. The Company does not undertake any obligation to review, update, confirm, or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that arise in relation to the content of this announcement.

Neither the Managers nor any of its affiliates makes any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of this announcement and none of them accepts any responsibility for the contents of this announcement or any matters referred to herein.

This announcement is for information purposes only and is not to be relied upon in substitution for the exercise of independent judgment. It is not intended as investment advice and under no circumstances is it to be used or considered as an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a recommendation to buy or sell any securities of the Company. Neither the Managers nor any of its affiliates accepts any liability arising from the use of this announcement.

The distribution of this announcement and other information may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions. Persons into whose possession this announcement or such other information should come are required to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions.

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