OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Monday
ANGLO American and De Beers are to start severing their 70-year old cross-shareholding relationship after the rules governing inclusion in Britain’s FTSE 100 index were changed, according to reports.
De Beer’s managing director Gary Ralfe said in an interview with the United Kingdom’s Sunday Telegraph that the company would consider selling its 35% share in Anglo, Business Report said.
Anglo’s chief executive, Tony Trahar, said last week that there was no logical reason for the cross-shareholding between the companies to continue.
Changes to the manner in which London Stock Exchange (LSE) listed companies are evaluated for the FTSE are expected before the middle of next year and would require Anglo to increase its free float from its present levels of about 65% to above 75%. One analyst said this could be the catalyst for De Beers to offload at least 10% of its shareholding in Anglo, the newspaper said.
Companies with a free float above 75% are expected to have their full market capitalisation taken into account for grading on the FTSE, while those with a free float lower than 75% would only have their market capitalisations calculated proportionately.
The FTSE index comprises the LSE-listed companies which have the 100 highest market capitalisations making it attractive for companies.
Trahar’s comments helped De Beers price climb over R15 last week, when the stock closed at R200,60. One analyst said fair value on De Beers’ diamond business was R350, which suggested a current discount of about 80%. Anglo’s share also climbed on the news.
Ralfe said the stake was a core holding, but did not discount selling it down if “we needed cash to make further investment in the diamond business. But this would obviously only be done with the full collaboration of Anglo American”.
An Anglo American spokesman dismissed analysts’ comments of an “imminent solution” to the cross-shareholding problem. De Beers’ Anglo share is worth more than R150bn.