Hofseth Biocare ASA: CONTEMPLATED PRIVATE PLACEMENT
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN
PART DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR THE
UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE RELEASE,
PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT
DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF ANY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED
HEREIN.
(Ålesund, 1 July 2022) Hofseth Biocare ASA ("HBC" or the
"Company") has resolved to effect a contemplated private placement
of new shares, after the close of trading on Oslo Børs today (the
"Private Placement").
The Private Placement is directed towards Norwegian and
international investors, subject to applicable exemptions from
relevant registration, filing and prospectus requirements, and
subject to other applicable selling restrictions. The minimum
application and allocation amount have been set to the NOK
equivalent of EUR 100,000. The Company may however, at its sole
discretion, allocate amounts below EUR 100,000 to the extent
exemptions from the prospectus requirement in accordance with
applicable regulations, including the Norwegian Securities Trading
Act and ancillary regulations, are available.
Through the Private Placement, the Company is offering up to
35,490,000 new shares (the "Offer Shares") in the Company to raise
gross proceeds of up to NOK 141 million. The subscription price per
Offer Share is NOK 4 (the "Offer Price") and has been determined
based on discussions with the potential subscribers in the Private
Placement. The allocation of Offer Shares in the Private Placement
will be determined by the Company's board of directors following
the application period. The application period commences today at
16:30 CEST and will close at 08:00 CEST on 4 July 2022. The Company
may, however, at its sole discretion, extend or shorten the
application period at any time and for any reason. The Company will
announce the final number of Offer Shares placed in the Private
placement in a stock exchange announcement expected to be published
on or about 4 July 2022.
The net proceeds of the Private Placement will be used for
general corporate purposes.
The completion of the Private Placement is subject to; (i) the
necessary corporate resolutions of the Company being made, i.e.
approval of the Private Placement and the allocation of the Offer
Shares by the Company's board of directors, and (ii) payment of all
share deposits and registration with the Norwegian Register of
Business Enterprises of the share capital increase in the Company
pertaining to the Private Placement. The Offer Shares allocated in
the Private Placement will be settled partially through cash
payment and partially through conversion of debt.
CEO Roger Hofseth (through RH Industri AS) and existing
shareholders Aqua-Spark and Bonafide have collectively indicated
that they will subscribe for in total approximately NOK 129 million
in the Private Placement.
The Offer Shares allocated in the Private Placement will be
settled towards the investors in the Private Placement as soon as
practicable after full payment has been received and the share
capital increase pertaining to the Private Placement has been
registered with the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises. The
payment date will be on or about 6 July 2022. However, Offer Shares
allocated to Aqua-Spark will be resolved issued through a separate
resolution to increase the share capital, with payment date on or
about 24 July 2022. Aqua-Spark will receive Offer Shares allocated
to them as soon as possible after full payment from Aqua-Spark has
been received, and the share capital increase pertaining to those
Offer Shares has been registered. In addition, delivery of Offer
Shares may be made on a delivery versus payment for up to 2 million
Offer Shares through a share lending arrangement between Ødegård
Prosjekt AS (a close associate of CFO Jon Olav Ødegård) and the
Company.
The Company's board of directors has considered the structure of
the contemplated Private Placement in light of the equal treatment
obligations under the Norwegian Securities Trading Act and Oslo
Børs' Circular no. 2/2014 and is of the opinion that it is in the
common interest of the Company and its shareholders to raise equity
through the Private Placement. The existing shareholders'
preferential rights to subscribe for new shares may be deviated
from. By structuring the equity raise as a private placement, the
Company is expected to raise equity efficiently, with no discount
to the current trading price, at a lower cost and with a
significantly lower risk compared to a rights issue. Further, the
Offer Price has been fixed to a premium towards the prevailing
market price of the Company's shares. Based on the foregoing, it is
currently not planned to conduct a subsequent repair issue directed
towards shareholders not participating in the Private
Placement.
Advokatfirmaet CLP DA acts as Norwegian legal counsel in
connection with the Private Placement.
For further information, please contact:
James Berger, CCO at HBCPhone: +41 79 950 1034E-mail:
jb@hofsethbiocare.no
Jon Olav Ødegård, CFO at HBCPhone: +47 936 32 966E-mail:
joo@hofsethbiocare.no
About HBC:
HBC is a Norwegian consumer and pet health ingredient supplier
and an incubator for new pharmaceutical drug leads. Research is
ongoing to identify the individual elements within its ingredients
that modulate inflammation and the immune response with
pre-clinical studies ongoing in multiple clinics and university
research labs. Lead clinical and pre-clinical candidates are
focused on developing an oral treatment for inflammatory disease
driven by eosinophils (a type of white blood cell). Clinical trial
work with the oil is ongoing to ameliorate lung inflammation in
eosinophilic asthma and COPD ("smokers lung") as well as in COVID.
Other leads are focused on the protection of the Gastro-Intestinal
(GI) system against inflammation (including ulcerative colitis and
the orphan condition necrotising enterocolitis) and using peptide
fractions of salmon protein hydrolysate (SPH also known as 'ProGo')
as a Medical Food to help treat age-related Sarcopenia, and as a
treatment for Iron Deficiency Anemia.
The company is founded on the core values of sustainability,
optimal utilization of natural resources and full traceability.
Through an innovative hydrolysis technology, HBC can preserve the
quality of the lipids, proteins and calcium from fresh salmon
off-cuts. HBC's headquarters are in Ålesund, Norway with branches
in Oslo, London, Zürich, Ningbo, New Jersey and Palo Alto.
HBC is listed on Oslo Børs with ticker "HBC". More information
about HBC at hofsethbiocare.com and
facebook.com/hofsethbiocare.
This information was considered to be inside information
pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. This stock exchange
announcement was published by Jon Olav Ødegård, Chief Financial
Officer, on the time and date provided.
Important information: This announcement is not and does not
form a part of any offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to
purchase, any securities of the Company. The distribution of this
announcement and other information may be restricted by law in
certain jurisdictions. Copies of this announcement are not being
made and may not be distributed or sent into any jurisdiction in
which such distribution would be unlawful or would require
registration or other measures. Persons into whose possession this
announcement or such other information should come are required to
inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions.
The securities referred to in this announcement have not been
and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933,
as amended (the "Securities Act"), and accordingly may not be
offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an
applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the
Securities Act and in accordance with applicable U.S. state
securities laws. The Company does not intend to register any part
of the offering or their securities in the United States or to
conduct a public offering of securities in the United States. Any
sale in the United States of the securities mentioned in this
announcement will be made solely to "qualified institutional
buyers" as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act.
In any EEA Member State, this communication is only addressed to
and is only directed at qualified investors in that Member State
within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation, i.e., only to
investors who can receive the offer without an approved prospectus
in such EEA Member State. The expression "Prospectus Regulation"
means Regulation 2017/1129 as amended together with any applicable
implementing measures in any Member State.
In the United Kingdom, this communication is only addressed to
and is only directed at "qualified investors" within the meaning of
Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of the laws of the
United Kingdom by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act
2018 (including any statutory instruments made in exercise of the
powers conferred by such act) that are (i) investment professionals
falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order")
or (ii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom this
announcement may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article
49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being
referred to as "relevant persons"). This communication must not be
acted on or relied on by persons who are not relevant persons. Any
investment or investment activity to which this communication
relates is available only for relevant persons and will be engaged
in only with relevant persons. Persons distributing this
communication must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do
so.
Matters discussed in this announcement may constitute
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are
statements that are not historical facts and may be identified by
words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "strategy",
"intends", "estimate", "will", "may", "continue", "should" and
similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this release
are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in
turn, upon further assumptions. Although the Company believes that
these assumptions were reasonable when made, these assumptions are
inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks,
uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors which are
difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond its control.
Actual events may differ significantly from any anticipated
development due to a number of factors, including without
limitation, changes in demand for the Company’s products, changes
in the general economic, political and market conditions in the
markets in which the Company operate, the Company’s ability to
attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel, and changes in
laws and regulation and the potential impact of legal proceedings
and actions. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other
important factors could cause actual events to differ materially
from the expectations expressed or implied in this release by such
forward-looking statements. The Company does not provide any
guarantees that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking
statements in this announcement are free from errors nor does it
accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions
expressed in this announcement or any obligation to update or
revise the statements in this announcement to reflect subsequent
events. You should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking
statements in this document.
The information, opinions and forward-looking statements
contained in this announcement speak only as at its date, and are
subject to change without notice. The Company does not undertake
any obligation to review, update, confirm, or to release publicly
any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events
that occur or circumstances that arise in relation to the content
of this announcement.
This announcement is for information purposes only and is not to
be relied upon in substitution for the exercise of independent
judgment. It is not intended as investment advice and under no
circumstances is it to be used or considered as an offer to sell,
or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a
recommendation to buy or sell any securities in the Company.
Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates accept any liability
arising from the use of this announcement.
Hofseth Biocare Asa (LSE:0Q6H)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jan 2025 to Feb 2025
Hofseth Biocare Asa (LSE:0Q6H)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Feb 2025