The chief executive of world number-four gold-miner Gold Fields, Ian Cockerill, on Monday again urged Gold Fields shareholders to reject Harmony’s offer.
Harmony’s offer to Gold Fields shareholders closes on Friday, and the offer has garnered 11,8% of Gold Fields’ securities in issue.
Gold Fields said it noted that since Harmony had made its hostile and unsolicited bid, the share prices of both companies had fallen substantially, and the value differential between the respective share prices had widened markedly, indicating the market view that Harmony’s all-share offer significantly undervalued Gold Fields.
Based on Friday’s United States close, at the current market price of the respective shares, a Gold Fields shareholder would lose R11,90 or $1,77 for every Gold Fields share or American Depository Receipt (ADR), respectively, tendered into Harmony’s offer, Gold Fields said.
“The board expects that Gold Fields’ strategy of investing in its high-quality South African assets, coupled with the success of its international diversification, will continue to deliver strong returns for all of its stakeholders.
“Without question, the board remains committed to creating and executing a sustainable strategy for growth and value creation,” the company added.
“The board and I believe Gold Fields will continue to deliver sustainable and profitable operations, optionality and growth to our shareholders.
“We are committed to taking the steps required to restore the value destroyed as a consequence of Harmony’s hostile and unsolicited bid. In the meantime, we continue to urge shareholders to not tender their shares or ADRs into the offer,” Cockerill said. — I-Net Bridge