(Bloomberg) -- Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, one of Canada’s largest institutional investors, is set to unload its entire stake in Multiplan Empreendimentos Imobiliarios SA, the Brazilian mall operator in which it first invested in 2006.
The Rio de Janeiro-based company agreed to buy back about 90 million shares from the Canadian fund in a deal that still needs shareholder approval. The remaining 21.2 million shares will be acquired by the controlling and founding Peres family, according to a filing. Ontario Teachers’ is likely to rake in about 2.47 billion reais ($450 million).
Even though the repurchase program may increase the company’s leverage ratio, the mall operator can still maintain its spending plans, focusing on expansion, BTG Pactual’s Gustavo Cambauva said in a note to clients.
“The company is mulling options to reduce its debt level and considering some asset sales,” Multiplan Chief Executive Office Eduardo Kaminitz Peres said during a conference call with analysts. He added that the company wants to be ready for other opportunities and isn’t looking for another reference shareholder.
The Canadian fund started it divestigure plans in April in a block trade operation handled by Goldman Sachs’ brokerage firm.
Since going public in 2007, Multiplan’s shares have climed 221%, compared to a 145% gain for Brazil’s benchmark Ibovespa index.
The shareholders’ meeting is scheduled for Oct. 21, according to Multiplan’s filing.
(Updates CEO comments in 4th paragraph.)
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