Cape Town – Old Mutual has taken another step in dismantling its business structure with the sale of its 25% stake in Old Mutual Asset Management (OMAM) worth $446m (R5.5bn) to HNA Capital US.
Old Mutual, which has £395bn under management, said the transaction will reduce its shareholding from 50.8% to 25.9%, it said in a company note.
“The transaction comprises a sale of a 9.95% tranche of OMAM shares held by Old Mutual at a price of $15.30 per share and a sale of a further 15% held by Old Mutual at a price of $15.75 per share.”
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Old Mutual said it intends to continue the reduction of its holding in its asset management business in “an orderly manner”.
Old Mutual is in the process of separating its four businesses – Old Mutual Emerging Markets, Nedbank, Old Mutual Wealth and OMAM – into stand-alone businesses.
Old Mutual CEO Bruce Hemphill said the transaction is another step in delivering a managed separation strategy, which will secure a long-term future for OMAM.
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The company said it will use the proceeds from the transaction with HNA Capital – the financial services unit of HNA Group – for general corporate purposes.
BusinessLive reported on Monday that Old Mutual will possibly use part of the cash flowing from the transaction as capital for the unlisted businesses and contribute to dividends for shareholders. It is uncertain how much of the proceeds will go towards settling debt and pay transactional costs for the sale to HNA Capital.
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