NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR
DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR
INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR THE REPUBLIC OF
SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE SUCH RELEASE,
PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. FURTHER, THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER
OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE
INFORMATION.
17 July 2024
Cirata
plc
Result of
Fundraising
Cirata plc (the "Company" and together with its
subsidiaries, "Cirata" or
the "Group")
(LSE: CRTA), the data activation platform, is
pleased to announce the successful completion of its equity
fundraise raising gross proceeds of $7.2 million (£5.6 million)
(the "Fundraise") announced
on 16 July 2024 (the "Launch
Announcement"). A total of
10,103,328 new ordinary shares will be issued by the Company
pursuant to the Fundraise (the "Offer Shares"). The Offer Shares will
represent 8.7 per cent. of the current issued ordinary share
capital of the Company prior to the Fundraise.
A total of 2,333,103 Offer Shares
have been placed by Panmure Liberum Limited, acting as sole
bookrunner ("Panmure
Liberum"), at 55 pence per share (the "Offer Price") pursuant to the Placing,
raising gross proceeds of approximately $1.7 million (c. £1.3
million) (the "Placing").
Concurrently with the Placing, 7,522,970 Offer Shares have been
subscribed for by investors directly from the Company at the Offer
Price, raising gross proceeds of approximately $5.3 million (c.
£4.1 million) (the "Direct
Subscription").
The Fundraise includes, retail
investors who have subscribed in the separate retail offer made by
the Company via the PrimaryBid platform for a total of 194,800
Offer Shares at the Offer Price, raising gross proceeds of
approximately $139k (c. £107k) (the "Retail Offer").
CEO, Stephen Kelly, participated in
the Placing for a total of 18,181 Offer Shares at the Offer
Price. Non-Executive Chair,
Kenneth Lever ("Ken Lever")
and Senior Independent Non-Executive Director, Peter Lees,
subscribed directly from the Company for a total of 52,455 Offer
Shares at the Offer Price. Together, the Directors' participation
in the Fundraise raised gross proceeds of approximately $50k (c.
£39k). Further details are set out below.
The Offer Price represents a
discount of approximately 5.2 per cent to
the closing share price of 58 pence on
15 July 2024.
The Company consulted with and
received strong support from many of its largest shareholders prior
to the Fundraise. The Company has respected the principles of the
soft pre-emption, so far as possible, through the allocation
process. The Company's management team actively participated in the
structuring and allocation of the Fundraise.
The Offer Shares will be issued
credited as fully paid and will rank in full for all dividends and
other distributions declared, made or paid after the admission of
the Offer Shares and will otherwise rank on admission pari passu in
all respects with the existing Ordinary Shares.
Director participation
The participation by certain
Directors in the Fundraise is set out below:
Name
|
Position/
status
|
Number of
Ordinary Shares currently held
|
Number of
Offer Shares
|
Number of
Ordinary Shares held following Admission
|
% of
issued share capital held following Admission
|
Stephen
Kelly
|
Executive
Director, CEO
|
1,802,660
|
18,181
|
1,820,841
|
1.4
|
Ken
Lever
|
Non-Executive Chair
|
200,000
|
45,454
|
245,454
|
0.2
|
Peter
Lees
|
Senior
Independent Non-Executive Director
|
69,260
|
7,001
|
76,261
|
0.1
|
Exchange rate used throughout is
GBP:USD 1.29835 as at 4.30 p.m. 15 July 2024
Stephen Kelly, Ken Lever and Peter
Lees have agreed to participate in the Fundraise for
18,181, 45,454 and 7,001
Offer Shares respectively. The participation of Stephen Kelly, Ken
Lever and Peter Lees, all existing directors in the Company, are
related party transactions pursuant to Rule 13 of the AIM Rules for
Companies ("Directors Related
Party Transactions").
The Directors who are independent of
the Directors Related Party Transactions, having consulted with
Stifel, the Company's nominated adviser, consider the terms of the
respective participation of Stephen Kelly, Ken Lever and Peter Lees
in the Fundraise to be fair and reasonable insofar as shareholders
of the Company are concerned.
Other related party
transactions
Global Frontier Investments
("Global Frontier")
and Davis Capital Partners ("Davis
Capital") have agreed to subscribe
for 1,151,251 and
2,800,7561 Ordinary Shares respectively, pursuant to the
Direct Subscription. Richard Griffiths has agreed to participate in
the Placing for 1,400,378 shares. The participation of Richard
Griffiths, Global Frontier and Davis Capital, all existing
substantial shareholders in the Company are related party
transactions pursuant to Rule 13 of the AIM Rules for Companies
("Substantial Shareholder Related
Party Transactions").
The Directors who are independent of
the Substantial Shareholder Related Party Transactions, having
consulted with Stifel, the Company's nominated adviser, consider
the terms of the respective participation of Richard Griffiths,
Global Frontier and Davis Capital in the Fundraise to be fair and
reasonable insofar as shareholders of the Company are
concerned.
1Davis Capital have
participated in the raise via Davis Capital Partners, LAD Trust and
S & G Foundation for an aggregate total of 2,800,756 Offer
Shares.
Admission of Ordinary Shares to
trading on AIM
Application has been made to the
London Stock Exchange for the Offer Shares to be admitted to
trading on AIM ("Admission"). It is expected that
Admission will be effective and settlement of the Offer Shares will
commence at 8.00 a.m. on 22 July 2024.
Total voting rights
Following Admission, the Company's
enlarged issued ordinary share capital will be 125,936,463. With effect from
Admission, this figure may be used by shareholders as the
denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if
they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their
interest in the Company, under the Disclosure Guidance and
Transparency Rules of the FCA.
Capitalised terms used but not
defined in this announcement shall have the meaning given to them
in the Launch Announcement, unless context provides
otherwise.
This Announcement is released by Cirata plc and contains
inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the UK Market
Abuse Regulation, and is disclosed in accordance with the Company's
obligations under Article 17 of the UK Market Abuse
Regulation.
The
person responsible for arranging the release of this announcement
on behalf of Cirata plc is Larry Webster, Company
Secretary.
For
further information, please contact:
Cirata
Stephen Kelly, Chief Executive
Officer
Ijoma Maluza, Chief Financial
Officer
Daniel Hayes, Investor
Relations
|
Via
FTI Consulting
|
Panmure Liberum (Joint
Broker and Sole Bookrunner)
Max Jones / Rupert Dearden / John
More / Anake Singh
|
+44 (0)20 3100 2000
|
FTI
Consulting
Matt Dixon / Kwaku Aning / Usama
Ali
|
+44
(0)20 3727 1137
|
Stifel (Nomad and Joint
Broker)
Fred Walsh / Ben Good / Sarah
Wong
|
+44
(0)20 7710 7600
|
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED IT IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION,
RELEASE, TRANSMISSION, FORWARDING OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA, ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED
STATES OR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (COLLECTIVELY, THE "UNITED STATES"), AUSTRALIA, CANADA,
JAPAN OR THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN
WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
FURTHER, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS
NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION.
This announcement or any part of it
does not constitute or form part of any offer to issue or sell, or
the solicitation of an offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for,
any securities in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan or
the Republic of South Africa or any other jurisdiction in which the
same would be unlawful. Except for the Retail Offer, no public
offering of the Offer Shares is being made in any such
jurisdiction.
No action has been taken by the
Company, Panmure Liberum, any of their respective Affiliates, or
any person acting on its or their behalf that would permit an offer
of the Offer Shares or possession or distribution of this
announcement or any other offering or publicity material relating
to such Offer Shares in any jurisdiction where action for that
purpose is required. Persons into whose possession this
announcement comes are required by the Company and Panmure Liberum
to inform themselves about, and to observe, such
restrictions.
No prospectus, offering memorandum,
offering document or admission document has been or will be made
available in connection with the matters contained in this
announcement and no such prospectus is required (in accordance with
Regulation (EU) No 2017/1129 (as amended) (the "EU Prospectus Regulation") or
assimilated Regulation (EU) No 2017/1129 (as amended) as it forms
part of the laws of the United Kingdom by virtue of the European
Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended) (the "UK Prospectus Regulation")) to be
published. Persons needing advice should consult a qualified
independent legal adviser, business adviser, financial adviser or
tax adviser for legal, financial, business or tax
advice.
The securities referred to herein
have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or with any
securities regulatory authority of any State or other jurisdiction
of the United States, and may not be offered, sold or transferred,
directly or indirectly, in or into the United States except
pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to,
the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in
compliance with the securities laws of any State or any other
jurisdiction of the United States. Accordingly, the Offer Shares
will be offered and sold only (i) outside of the United States in
"offshore transactions" (as such term is defined in Regulation S
under the Securities Act ("Regulation S")) pursuant to Regulation
S and otherwise in accordance with applicable laws; and (ii) in the
United States to persons who are "qualified institutional buyers"
(as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act) ("QIBs") and who have executed and
delivered to the Company and Panmure Liberum a US investor letter
substantially in the form provided to it, in each case, pursuant to
an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, registration
under the Securities Act. No public offering of the Securities will
be made in the United States or elsewhere.
The Fundraise has not been approved
or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, any
state securities commission in the United States or any US
regulatory authority, nor have any of the foregoing authorities
passed upon or endorsed the merits of the Fundraise, or the
accuracy or adequacy of this announcement. Any representation to
the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States.
This announcement has not been
approved by the London Stock Exchange.
Members of the public are not
eligible to take part in the Placing, Direct Subscription or
Management Subscription. This announcement is directed at and is
only being distributed to: (a) if in a member state of the European
Economic Area (the "EEA"),
qualified investors ("Qualified
Investors") within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the EU
Prospectus Regulation; (b) if in the United Kingdom, qualified
investors within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the UK Prospectus
Regulation who are also (i) persons having professional experience
in matters relating to investments who fall within the definition
of "investment professional" in Article 19(5) of the Financial
Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as
amended (the "Order"); or
(ii) high net worth companies, unincorporated associations and
partnerships and trustees of high value trusts as described in
Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order ("UK Qualified Investors"); or (c) other
persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated (all such
persons together being "Relevant
Persons").
This announcement must not be acted
on or relied on by persons who are not Relevant Persons. Persons
distributing this announcement must satisfy themselves that it is
lawful to do so. 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.
The relevant clearances have not
been, nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission of
any province or territory of Canada, no prospectus has been lodged
with, or registered by, the Australian Securities and Investments
Commission or the Japanese Ministry of Finance; the relevant
clearances have not been, and will not be, obtained for the South
Africa Reserve Bank or any other applicable body in the Republic of
South Africa in relation to the Offer Shares and the Offer Shares
have not been, nor will they be, registered under or offered in
compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or
territory of Australia, Canada, Japan or the Republic of South
Africa. Accordingly, the Offer Shares may not (unless an exemption
under the relevant securities laws is applicable) be offered, sold,
resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into Australia,
Canada, Japan or the Republic of South Africa or any other
jurisdiction in which such activities would be unlawful.
Certain statements contained in this
announcement constitute "forward-looking statements" with respect
to the financial condition, results of operations and businesses
and plans of the Company and the Group. Words such as "believes",
"anticipates", "estimates", "expects", "intends", "plans", "aims",
"potential", "will", "would", "could", "considered", "likely",
"estimate" and variations of these words and similar future or
conditional expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking
statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying such
statements. These statements and forecasts involve risk and
uncertainty because they relate to events and depend upon future
circumstances that have not occurred. There are a number of factors
that could cause actual results or developments to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking
statements and forecasts. As a result, the Group's actual financial
condition, results of operations and business and plans may differ
materially from the plans, goals and expectations expressed or
implied by these forward-looking statements. No representation or
warranty is made as to the achievement or reasonableness of, and no
reliance should be placed on, such forward-looking statements. The
forward-looking statements contained in this announcement speak
only as of the date of this announcement. The Company, its
directors, Panmure Liberum, their respective Affiliates and any
person acting on its or their behalf each expressly disclaim any
obligation or undertaking to update or revise publicly any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, unless required to do so by applicable
law or regulation, the FCA or the London Stock Exchange.
Panmure Liberum is authorised and
regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA. Panmure Liberum is
acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection
with the Placing, the contents of this announcement or any other
matters described in this announcement. Panmure Liberum will not
regard any other person as its client in relation to the Placing,
the content of this announcement or any other matters described in
this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone (including
any Placees) other than the Company for providing the protections
afforded to its clients or for providing advice to any other person
in relation to the Placing, the content of this announcement or any
other matters referred to in this announcement.
This announcement has been issued by
and is the sole responsibility of the Company. No representation or
warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in
relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be
accepted by Panmure Liberum or by any of its Affiliates or any
person acting on its or their behalf as to, or in relation to, the
accuracy or completeness of this announcement or any other written
or oral information made available to or publicly available to any
interested party or its advisers, and any liability therefore is
expressly disclaimed.
This announcement does not
constitute a recommendation concerning any investor's investment
decision with respect to the Fundraise. Any indication in this
announcement of the price at which ordinary shares have been bought
or sold in the past cannot be relied upon as a guide to future
performance. The price of shares and any income expected from them
may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full
amount invested upon disposal of the shares. Past performance is no
guide to future performance. This announcement does not identify or
suggest, or purport to identify or suggest, the risks (direct or
indirect) that may be associated with an investment in the Offer
Shares. The contents of this announcement are not to be construed
as legal, business, financial or tax advice. Each investor or
prospective investor should consult their or its own legal adviser,
business adviser, financial adviser or tax adviser for legal,
financial, business or tax advice.
No statement in this announcement is
intended to be a profit forecast or profit estimate for any period,
and no statement in this announcement should be interpreted to mean
that earnings, earnings per share or income, cash flow from
operations or free cash flow for the Company for the current or
future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the
historical published earnings, earnings per share or income, cash
flow from operations or free cash flow for the Company.
All offers of the Offer Shares will
be made pursuant to an exemption under the UK Prospectus Regulation
or the EU Prospectus Regulation from the requirement to produce a
prospectus. This announcement is being distributed and communicated
to persons in the UK only in circumstances to which section 21(1)
of the Financial Services and Markets Act, 2000, as amended does
not apply.
The Offer Shares to be issued or
sold pursuant to the Fundraise will not be admitted to trading on
any stock exchange other than the London Stock Exchange.
Persons (including, without
limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual or other
legal obligation to forward a copy of this announcement should seek
appropriate advice before taking any action.
Neither the content of the Company's
website (or any other website) nor the content of any website
accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other
website) is incorporated into or forms part of this
announcement.
This announcement has been prepared
for the purposes of complying with applicable law and regulation in
the United Kingdom and the information disclosed may not be the
same as that which would have been disclosed if this announcement
had been prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations of
any jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.
The relevant notifications set out
below are provided in accordance with the requirements of Article
19 of the UK Market Abuse Regulation.
1
|
Details of the person discharging managerial
responsibilities/person closely associated
|
a)
|
Name
|
Kenneth Lever
|
2
|
Reason for the notification
|
a)
|
Position/status
|
Non-Executive Chair
|
b)
|
Initial
notification/Amendment
|
Initial notification
|
3
|
Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant,
auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
|
a)
|
Name
|
Cirata plc
|
b)
|
LEI
|
213800Y1A75RSC698O04
|
4
|
Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i)
each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each
date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been
conducted
|
a)
|
Description of the financial
instrument, type of instrument
Identification code
|
Ordinary shares of 10p each
ISIN: JE00B6Y3DV84
|
b)
|
Nature of the transaction
|
Purchase of shares
|
c)
|
Price(s) and volume(s)
|
Price(s)
|
Volume(s)
|
55 pence
|
45,454
|
|
d)
|
Aggregated information
-
|
Aggregated volume
|
-
|
Price
|
-
|
Aggregated total
|
|
n/a single transaction
|
e)
|
Date of the transaction
|
17 July
2024
|
f)
|
Place of the transaction
|
London Stock Exchange
(XLON)
|
1
|
Details of the person discharging managerial
responsibilities/person closely associated
|
a)
|
Name
|
Stephen Kelly
|
2
|
Reason for the notification
|
a)
|
Position/status
|
Chief Executive Officer
|
b)
|
Initial
notification/Amendment
|
Initial notification
|
3
|
Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant,
auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
|
a)
|
Name
|
Cirata plc
|
b)
|
LEI
|
213800Y1A75RSC698O04
|
4
|
Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i)
each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each
date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been
conducted
|
a)
|
Description of the financial
instrument, type of instrument
Identification code
|
Ordinary shares of 10p each
ISIN: JE00B6Y3DV84
|
b)
|
Nature of the transaction
|
Purchase of shares
|
c)
|
Price(s) and volume(s)
|
Price(s)
|
Volume(s)
|
55 pence
|
18,181
|
|
d)
|
Aggregated information
-
|
Aggregated volume
|
-
|
Price
|
-
|
Aggregated total
|
|
n/a single transaction
|
e)
|
Date of the transaction
|
17 July 2024
|
f)
|
Place of the transaction
|
London Stock Exchange
(XLON)
|
1
|
Details of the person discharging managerial
responsibilities/person closely associated
|
a)
|
Name
|
Peter Lees
|
2
|
Reason for the notification
|
a)
|
Position/status
|
Senior Independent Non-Executive
Director
|
b)
|
Initial
notification/Amendment
|
Initial notification
|
3
|
Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant,
auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
|
a)
|
Name
|
Cirata plc
|
b)
|
LEI
|
213800Y1A75RSC698O04
|
4
|
Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i)
each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each
date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been
conducted
|
a)
|
Description of the financial
instrument, type of instrument
Identification code
|
Ordinary shares of 10p each
ISIN: JE00B6Y3DV84
|
b)
|
Nature of the transaction
|
Purchase of shares
|
c)
|
Price(s) and volume(s)
|
Price(s)
|
Volume(s)
|
55 pence
|
7,001
|
|
d)
|
Aggregated information
-
|
Aggregated volume
|
-
|
Price
|
-
|
Aggregated total
|
|
n/a single transaction
|
e)
|
Date of the transaction
|
17 July 2024
|
f)
|
Place of the transaction
|
London Stock Exchange
(XLON)
|