GE to Sell Up to 20% Stake in Baker Hughes -- 2nd Update
13 Noviembre 2018 - 08:04AM
Noticias Dow Jones
By Thomas Gryta
General Electric Co. said it plans to sell up to 20% of its
majority holding in oil services company Baker Hughes, providing
around $4 billion in cash for the struggling conglomerate.
GE will sell up to 101 million shares in a secondary offering to
the market and Baker Hughes has agreed to repurchase about 65
million shares from its controlling shareholder. Based on Monday's
closing price of $23.64, the sales would raise roughly $4 billion
for GE.
GE had been prevented from selling its stake in Baker Hughes
until July 2019 as part of the agreement that formed the company,
when GE combined its oil and gas business with Baker Hughes. GE
said it plans to maintain a stake above 50% in Baker Hughes after
the transactions.
GE had told investors in June it planned to sell down its 62.5%
stake in Baker Hughes as part of a restructuring plan to raise cash
and breakup the conglomerate. Investors have worried about the
company's high debt load and losses in its core power division. GE
has also agreed to sell its locomotive business and spin off its
health-care unit.
The agreement with Baker Hughes announced Tuesday marks the
first major portfolio move by Chief Executive Larry Culp, who took
over on Oct. 1 and has tried to reassure investors that he is
putting the company on the path to growth after two years of
turmoil.
Mr. Culp slashed the company's dividend to a token amount and
declined to provide any financial guidance for investors. He also
disclosed a Justice Department probe into the company's accounting
practices, along with an investigation by the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
Shares of GE have tumbled more than 50% in the past year and are
trading at their lowest levels since the 2009 financial crisis. GE
shares rose 18 cents to $8.17 in premarket trading, while Baker
Hughes fell 2% to $23.
Baker Hughes said it would spend up to $1.5 billion on the share
repurchases from GE, which the oil services company said would be
part of its existing buyback program.
GE's remaining stake in the Houston-based company will be
subject to a 180-day lockup period, the companies said, although GE
has told investors it eventually plans to fully separate its
ownership of Baker Hughes.
By July 3, 2019 or whenever GE's voting stake in Baker Hughes
falls below 50%, GE has agreed to reduce its board representation
to one director. GE currently nominates five of the nine members of
Baker Hughes' board. If its stake falls below 20%, GE will cease
having any directors on the board.
As part of the agreement between the two companies, GE has also
transferred some of its U.K. pension liabilities to Baker Hughes on
what the companies said was a fully funded basis. Baker Hughes will
reduce the amount of intercompany service fees it pays back to GE
starting Jan. 1.
Write to Thomas Gryta at thomas.gryta@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 13, 2018 08:49 ET (13:49 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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