SAS melder at selskapet vurderer en emisjon av såkalte stamaksjer på rundt 1 milliard svenske kroner.
Oppdraget med å hente penger er gått til Nordea Bank og SpareBank 1 Markets, sammen med HSBC.
Det skjer etter at flyselskapet nylig fikk en fullmakt til emisjon, på en ekstraordinær generalforsamling avholdt den 3. november 2017.
SAS skriver at selskapet skal bruke pengene til å styrke egenkapitalen, samt til den fremtidige innløsingen av preferanseaksjer fra februar 2018.
Mer egenkapital bidrar også til at SAS kan oppnå bedre vilkår i finansieringen av kommende flyinvesteringer og refinansiering av kommende låneforfall.
SAS EVALUATES PRECONDITIONS FOR A PRIVATE PLACEMENT OF APPROXIMATELY SEK 1 BILLION
On the basis of the authorization to issue new shares received by the Board of Directors at the Extraordinary General Meeting on November 3, 2017, SAS AB (publ) has retained Nordea Bank AB (publ), SpareBank 1 Markets AS (Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners) and HSBC Bank plc (Joint Bookrunner) to evaluate the preconditions for carrying out a private placement of common shares for approximately SEK 1 billion through an accelerated book-building process.
SAS intends to use any issue proceeds raised to strengthen its shareholders’ equity and commence future redemption of preference shares from February 2018. Strengthening shareholders’ equity would also enable SAS to obtain improved terms and conditions for the financing of forthcoming aircraft investments and the refinancing of maturing loans.
The Extraordinary General Meeting of SAS held on November 3, 2017 resolved to authorize the Board of Directors to decide on the issue of not more than 66 million new common shares, with deviation from the preferential rights of shareholders, in the form of a private placement to a number of selected Scandinavian and international institutional investors, as well as anchor investors and other investors whose participation, as deemed by the Board of Directors, would be beneficial for the successful implementation of the share issue.
Following the potential completion of a new share issue, SAS has agreed to a six months lock-up undertaking to not issue common shares after the private placement, subject to certain exemptions in accordance with provisions in the Articles of Association of SAS and market practice.