Sampo plans to reduce ownership in Nordea in line with its strategy

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR IN OR INTO ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH OFFERS OR SALES WOULD BE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW.

Sampo has today announced the launch of an accelerated bookbuild offering to institutional investors of 162 million Nordea shares. The offering represents 4.0 per cent of the outstanding shares in Nordea and would reduce Sampo’s ownership in Nordea to 15.9 per cent.

The planned disposal represents a step in steering Sampo towards the Group’s strategic focus area – its P&C insurance operations. Over time, the Group will explore options to continue this process, with the aim of placing P&C insurance at the core of shareholder value creation. Sampo remains confident in Nordea’s ability to deliver on its strategy and 2022 financial targets and continues to be the largest shareholder in the bank.

The planned transaction will further strengthen Sampo Group’s Solvency II ratio. Nordea’s status as an associated company remains unchanged.

The average acquisition price of Nordea is EUR 6.46 per share but the book value in the Group’s consolidated balance sheet was EUR 8.62 per share on 30 September 2020, exceeding the expected sale price. The accounting loss from the transaction will be treated as an extraordinary item in calculating the dividend paid for 2020 and it will therefore not impact the dividend. Sampo’s dividend policy, adopted on 6 February 2020, is to pay total annual dividends of at least 70 per cent of Group’s net profit (excluding extraordinary items) and that share buy-backs can be used to complement the cash dividend.

Sampo plans to use the cash generated by the Nordea share sale to reduce debt leverage and to strengthen the Group’s liquidity position and ability to respond to future opportunities.

Goldman Sachs International and Citigroup Global Markets Europe AG are acting as Joint Bookrunners of the transaction. The result of the transaction will be announced on 11 November at the latest. In connection with the offering, Sampo has entered into a lock-up undertaking, under which it has, subject to certain exceptions, agreed not to sell any Nordea shares for a period ending at 9 May 2021.

 

SAMPO PLC

Jarmo Salonen
Head of Investor Relations and Group Communications
tel. +358 10 516 0030

Maria Silander
Communications Manager, Media Relations
tel. +358 10 516 0031

 

Important notice

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN MADE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO BUY, SELL, ISSUE OR SUBSCRIBE FOR, OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, SELL, ISSUE OR SUBSCRIBE FOR ANY SECURITIES, NOR SHALL THERE BE ANY SALE OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL PRIOR TO REGISTRATION OR QUALIFICATION UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY SUCH JURISDICTION.

MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN THE EQUITY OFFERING. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND ANY OFFER OF SECURITIES TO WHICH IT RELATES ARE ONLY ADDRESSED TO AND DIRECTED AT PERSONS WHO ARE (1) QUALIFIED INVESTORS WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE PROSPECTUS REGULATION (EU) 2017/1129 AND (2) WHO HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS RELATING TO INVESTMENTS WHO FALL WITHIN ARTICLE 19(1) OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT 2000 (FINANCIAL PROMOTION) ORDER 2005 (THE “ORDER”) OR ARE PERSONS FALLING WITHIN ARTICLE 49(2)(A) TO (D) (HIGH NET WORTH COMPANIES, UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS, ETC) OF THE ORDER OR ARE PERSONS TO WHOM AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN MAY OTHERWISE LAWFULLY BE MADE (ALL SUCH PERSONS TOGETHER BEING REFERRED TO AS “RELEVANT PERSONS”). THE INFORMATION REGARDING THE EQUITY OFFERING SET OUT IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST NOT BE ACTED ON OR RELIED ON BY PERSONS WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT PERSONS. ANY INVESTMENT OR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY TO WHICH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO RELEVANT PERSONS AND WILL BE ENGAGED IN ONLY WITH RELEVANT PERSONS.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA). THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE INTO THE UNITED STATES. THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES, EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN APPLICABLE EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF SECURITIES IS BEING MADE IN THE UNITED STATES.

ANY INVESTMENT DECISION TO BUY SECURITIES IN THE EQUITY OFFERING MUST BE MADE SOLELY ON THE BASIS OF PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION WHICH HAS NOT BEEN INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED BY THE SOLE BOOKRUNNER OR THE SELLER. NEITHER THIS ANNOUNCEMENT NOR ANY COPY OF IT MAY BE TAKEN, TRANSMITTED OR DISTRIBUTED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR IN OR INTO ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH OFFERS OR SALES WOULD BE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIAN, CANADIAN, JAPANESE OR OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS.

THE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE OFFERING OR SALE OF THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN IN CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS MAY BE RESTRICTED BY LAW. NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN BY THE SOLE BOOKRUNNER OR ANY OF ITS RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES OR ANY OTHER PERSON THAT WOULD PERMIT AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN OR POSSESSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT OR ANY OTHER OFFERING OR PUBLICITY MATERIAL RELATING TO THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE ACTION FOR THAT PURPOSE IS REQUIRED. PERSONS INTO WHOSE POSSESSION THIS ANNOUNCEMENT COMES ARE REQUIRED BY THE SOLE BOOKRUNNER TO INFORM THEMSELVES ABOUT AND TO OBSERVE ANY SUCH RESTRICTIONS.

THE SOLE BOOKRUNNER IS ACTING EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE SELLER AND NO ONE ELSE IN CONNECTION WITH THE EQUITY OFFERING. THE SOLE BOOKRUNNER WILL NOT REGARD ANY OTHER PERSON (WHETHER OR NOT A RECIPIENT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT) AS THEIR CLIENT IN RELATION TO THE EQUITY OFFERING AND THE SOLE BOOKRUNNER WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE TO ANYONE OTHER THAN THE SELLER FOR PROVIDING THE PROTECTIONS AFFORDED TO THEIR CLIENTS NOR FOR GIVING ADVICE IN RELATION TO THE OFFERING OR ANY TRANSACTION, ARRANGEMENT OR OTHER MATTER REFERRED TO IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. THE SOLE BOOKRUNNER MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE OFFERING ON A PROPRIETARY BASIS.

 

Distribution:
Nasdaq Helsinki
London Stock Exchange
The principal media
Financial Supervisory Authority
www.sampo.com