A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc. (NASDAQ:
AMRK) (A-Mark), a leading fully integrated precious metals
platform, has entered into a non-binding letter of intent with AMS
Holding, LLC (AMS), a leading collector platform for the marketing
and sales of vintage and modern coins, providing for three
transactions, including the proposed acquisition of LPM Group
Limited (LPM), one of Asia’s largest precious metals dealers.
The proposed transactions are subject to the
preparation and execution of definitive agreements and are expected
to close simultaneously in February 2024, subject to the receipt of
customary closing conditions and required third party consents or
approvals, including the consent of the lenders under A-Mark’s
Trading Credit Facility.
LPM Overview and Financial &
Operational Highlights
Established in 2012, LPM is one of the largest
precious metals wholesalers in Asia. Headquartered at the heart of
Hong Kong's Central Financial District, LPM boasts the city's
largest numismatics showroom. LPM offers a wide selection of
products through its retail store and 24/7 online trading platform,
including recently released silver coins, gold bullion, certified
coins, and the latest collectible numismatic issues.
The company’s global customer base spans sovereign and private
mints, manufacturers and fabricators, investors, collectors,
e-commerce customers, and other retail customers.
LPM three-year average financial and operational
highlights include*:
- Net sales of $393.2 million
- 108,000 ounces of gold sold
- 6.3 million ounces of silver
sold
- 27,000 wholesale and retail
customers
- 26,000 orders processed
*The results of LPM have been provided to A-Mark by AMS, have
been subject to year over year fluctuation, and are subject to
A-Mark’s continuing diligence.
“Acquiring LPM will be an important step in
growing A-Mark’s international presence, specifically in Asia,”
said A-Mark CEO Greg Roberts. “Having established a relationship
with AMS through supplier agreements, the timing was opportune to
integrate LPM into our portfolio and extend A-Mark’s global reach.
With access to A-Mark’s inventory and resources, we expect that LPM
will be able to secure larger purchase orders while providing
customers with a broader set of product offerings. Our strategy is
to expand LPM’s direct-to-consumer business through our proven
e-commerce expertise, while offering its global customer base a
broader portfolio of products and ancillary services such as
storage and fulfillment.”
LPM Transaction DetailsThe
letter of intent provides that A-Mark will acquire 100% of the
issued and outstanding equity interests of LPM Group Limited (LPM)
from AMS for total upfront consideration of $41.5 million,
consisting of $37.5 million in cash, subject to certain closing
adjustments, and $4.0 million of A-Mark common stock. The letter of
intent further provides that LPM will have a tangible net worth of
$11.5 million inclusive of net cash and precious metals
inventories. The letter of intent also contemplates that AMS will
have the potential to earn up to an additional $37.5 million in
cash based on achievement of certain Earnings before Interest,
Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) targets for 2024,
2025 and 2026.
LPM CEO Charlie Chang, who is expected to sign a
consulting agreement with A-Mark in connection with the
transaction, commented: “Since our founding, LPM has been focused
on developing strong relationships with both wholesale and retail
customers across Asia. Joining forces with A-Mark, I am eager to
capitalize on A-Mark's extensive resources and capabilities to
deepen our presence and expand our footprint within the retail and
wholesale precious metals market in Asia.”
Pinehurst Coin Exchange Asset Purchase
of ModernCoinMartUnder the letter of intent, A-Mark
affiliate, Pinehurst Coin Exchange, Inc. (Pinehurst), one of the
nation’s largest distributors of modern certified coins of which
A-Mark owns 49.0%, will acquire all the assets of ModernCoinMart
(MCM) from AMS for $5.5 million, subject to certain closing
adjustments. MCM is one of the fastest growing dealers in the U.S.
and ships to many international destinations. As part of the asset
purchase, Pinehurst will acquire $3.0 million of inventory, along
with MCM’s customer list, brand name, and related intellectual
property.
Pinehurst CEO Vince Wade commented: “Since its
inception in 2004, ModernCoinMart has established a formidable
e-commerce presence and cultivated a loyal customer base. In our
pursuit of expanding our direct-to-consumer business, we are
confident that MCM’s adept use of eBay, coupled with the appealing
collectability of its modern bullion coins, will not only retain
existing customers but also attract new ones. We believe that the
combination of effective online strategies and enticing product
offerings positions MCM and Pinehurst for continued success in
capturing market share and engaging a broader audience.”
Strategic Investment in AMS Holdings
The letter of intent further provides that a
proposed joint venture consisting of A-Mark, Pinehurst and Stack’s
Bowers Numismatics, LLC, an affiliate of A-Mark, will acquire a
common equity interest in AMS equivalent to 10% of the total, fully
diluted common equity interests in AMS. As part of the proposed
investment, A-Mark CEO Greg Roberts will join the AMS board of
directors.
AMS CEO Jim Hilt commented: “These transactions
underscore our strategic transformation as a platform that will
define the next era of collecting in our industry. Greg’s
leadership in turning A-Mark into a globally recognized fully
integrated platform make him and his team a perfect partner for AMS
and we look forward to the benefit of his expertise on our board.
This is a critical step in our evolution to accelerate our growth,
create industry impact, and drive value for collectors in our
markets.”
Transaction Advisors D.A.
Davidson & Co. is acting as financial advisor to A-Mark, and
Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP and Frye & Hsieh LLP
are acting as legal advisors to A-Mark. Houlihan Lokey is acting as
financial advisor to AMS, and Ballard Spahr LLP is acting as legal
advisor to AMS.
Conference Call A-Mark will
hold a conference call today, February 6, 2024, at 4:30 p.m.
Eastern time (1:30 p.m. Pacific time) to discuss the proposed
transactions as well as the company’s financial results for the
fiscal second quarter ended December 31, 2023. A-Mark management
will host the presentation, followed by a question-and-answer
period.
A-Mark’s conference call can be accessed as
follows:
U.S. dial-in number: 1-888-506-0062International number:
1-973-528-0011Participant Access Code:
362228Webcast: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2867/49671
Please call the conference telephone number 10
minutes before the start time. An operator will register your name
and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the
conference call, please contact A-Mark’s investor relations team at
1-949-574-3860.
A replay of the call will be available after
7:30 p.m. Eastern time on the same day through February 20,
2024.
Toll-free replay number: 1-877-481-4010International replay
number: 1-919-882-2331Participant Access Code: 49671
The call will also be broadcast live and
available for replay on the Investor Relations section of A-Mark’s
website at ir.amark.com/.
This press release shall not constitute an offer
to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any shares of common
stock of A-Mark. Any offer will be made only by means of a
prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus forming a part of
an effective registration statement of A-Mark.
About A-Mark Precious
MetalsFounded in 1965, A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc. is a
leading fully integrated precious metals platform that offers an
array of gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and copper bullion,
numismatic coins, and related products to wholesale and retail
customers via a portfolio of channels. The company conducts its
operations through three complementary segments: Wholesale Sales
& Ancillary Services, Direct-to-Consumer, and Secured Lending.
The company’s global customer base spans sovereign and private
mints, manufacturers and fabricators, refiners, dealers, financial
institutions, industrial users, investors, collectors, e-commerce
customers, and other retail customers.
A-Mark’s Wholesale Sales & Ancillary
Services segment distributes and purchases precious metal products
from sovereign and private mints. As a U.S. Mint-authorized
purchaser of gold, silver, and platinum coins since 1986, A-Mark
purchases bullion products directly from the U.S. Mint for sale to
customers. A-Mark also has longstanding distributorships with other
sovereign mints, including Australia, Austria, Canada, China,
Mexico, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The company sells
more than 200 different products to e-commerce retailers, coin and
bullion dealers, financial institutions, brokerages, and
collectors. In addition, A-Mark sells precious metal products to
industrial users, including metal refiners, manufacturers, and
electronic fabricators.
Through its A-M Global Logistics subsidiary,
A-Mark provides its customers with a range of complementary
services, including managed storage options for precious metals as
well as receiving, handling, inventorying, processing, packaging,
and shipping of precious metals and coins on a secure basis.
A-Mark’s mint operations, which are conducted through its wholly
owned subsidiary Silver Towne Mint, enable the company to
offer customers a wide range of proprietary coin and bar offerings
and, during periods of market volatility when the availability of
silver bullion from sovereign mints is often product constrained,
preferred product access.A-Mark’s Direct-to-Consumer segment
operates as an omni-channel retailer of precious metals, providing
access to a multitude of products through its wholly owned
subsidiaries, JM Bullion and Goldline. JM Bullion is
a leading e-commerce retailer of precious metals and operates seven
separately branded, company-owned websites targeting specific
niches within the precious metals
market: JMBullion.com, ProvidentMetals.com, Silver.com, GoldPrice.org, SilverPrice.org, BGASC.com,
and BullionMax.com. JMB also owns CyberMetals.com, an
online platform where customers can purchase and sell fractional
shares of digital gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bars in a
range of denominations. Goldline markets precious metals directly
to the investor community through various channels, including
television, radio, and telephonic sales efforts. A-Mark also holds
minority ownership interests in four additional direct-to-consumer
brands.
The company operates its Secured Lending segment
through its wholly owned subsidiary, Collateral Finance Corporation
(CFC). Founded in 2005, CFC is a California licensed finance lender
that originates and acquires loans secured by bullion and
numismatic coins. Its customers include coin and precious metal
dealers, investors, and collectors.
A-Mark is headquartered in El Segundo, CA and
has additional offices and facilities in the neighboring Los
Angeles area as well as in Dallas, TX, Las Vegas, NV, Winchester,
IN, and Vienna, Austria. For more information,
visit www.amark.com.
A-Mark periodically provides information for
investors on its corporate website, www.amark.com, and its
investor relations website, ir.amark.com. This includes press
releases and other information about financial performance, reports
filed or furnished with the SEC, information on corporate
governance, and investor presentations.
Important Cautions Regarding
Forward-Looking StatementsStatements in this press release
that relate to future plans, objectives, expectations, performance,
events and the like are "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These include statements
regarding the occurrence and the timing of the closing of the
transactions described in this release, and the anticipated
benefits to A-Mark and its affiliates of the transactions. Future
events, risks and uncertainties, individually or in the aggregate,
could cause actual results or circumstances to differ materially
from those expressed or implied in these statements. Factors that
could cause actual results to differ include the following:
With respect to all of the transactions: The
failure of the parties to agree on definitive transaction
documents; the failure of the parties to complete the contemplated
transactions within the currently expected timeline or at all; the
failure to obtain necessary third-party consents or approvals;
greater than anticipated costs incurred to consummate the
transactions; and the strategic, business, economic, financial,
political and governmental risks and other Risk Factors affecting
the businesses of the company and the industries in which it
operates, as described in in the company’s public filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
With respect to the acquisition of LPM: The
inability to successfully integrate LPM with A-Mark’s other
business, as anticipated or at all; the inability to realize the
anticipated synergies between LPM and A-Mark’s other businesses;
the difficulties in managing a business located outside the United
States generally, and in particular in China and other Asian
jurisdictions; and LPM’s inability to expand its business in China
and other parts of Asia, as anticipated or at all.
With respect to the investment in AMS: The risks
associated with the conduct of the business of AMS generally; the
inability of the joint venture, as a minority holder, to exercise
control over AMS; and the inability of the joint venture to exit
its investment in AMS at a profit, at the time of its choosing or
at all.
Company Contact:Steve Reiner, Executive Vice
President, Capital Markets & Investor RelationsA-Mark Precious
Metals, Inc.1-310-587-1410sreiner@amark.com
Investor Relations Contacts:Matt Glover and
Greg BradburyGateway Group,
Inc.1-949-574-3860AMRK@gateway-grp.com
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