11 March
2024
For immediate release
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR
DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, THE
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE ITS
RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IS OR MAY BE UNLAWFUL. THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN
THE TENDER OFFER (AS DEFINED HEREIN) IN OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION IN
OR FROM WHICH, OR TO OR FROM ANY PERSON TO OR FROM WHOM, IT IS
UNLAWFUL TO MAKE SUCH OFFER UNDER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OR
OTHERWISE.
This release contains inside
information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market
Abuse Regulation (2014/596/EU), or EU MAR, and of the UK version of
EU MAR as it forms part of UK law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act (as amended).
Nanoco
Group PLC
("Nanoco", the "Group", or the "Company")
Proposed return of up to
£33.0 million to shareholders
Retained
proceeds to
invest in exciting growth prospects
Nanoco Group plc (LSE: NANO), a
world leader in the development and manufacture of cadmium-free
quantum dots and other specific nanomaterials emanating from its
technology platform, announces that it will today post a Circular
setting out the details of a proposed return of value to
shareholders of up to £33m of the Samsung litigation proceeds (the
"Return of
Value").
Following the receipt of the Final
Litigation Proceeds, the Board and its advisers consulted with
shareholders representing approximately 37.5 per cent. of the
Company's issued share capital on the different options for a
proposed return of capital. The Board has determined that, in
order to provide flexibility and choice to shareholders, the most
appropriate means of returning value is to conduct a Tender Offer
to return up to £30.0 million to shareholders (the "Tender Offer"). In addition to the
Tender Offer, the Board also intends to return a further sum of up
to £3.0 million by way of an on-market share buyback of Ordinary
Shares (the "Share Buyback
Programme") to provide a continuing value-accretive return
of capital to Shareholders.
The Tender Offer is being made
at a fixed price of 24 pence per Ordinary
Share (the "Tender Price"), which represents a
premium of 25.1 per cent. to the closing mid-market price per
Ordinary Share on 8 March 2024 and a premium of 19.6 per cent. to
the 60-day volume weighted average price per Ordinary Share on 8
March 2024. The Tender Offer is for up to 38.5 per cent. of the
Company's issued share capital (excluding Ordinary Shares held in
treasury) with the Share Buyback Programme, commencing following
completion of the Tender Offer, having the potential to acquire a
further 3.9 per cent. of the Company's issued share capital (if
assumed at the Tender Price).
Further details of the Tender Offer
are included later in this announcement and full details are
included in the Circular being posted later today.
Shareholders will be able to decide
whether to tender none, some or all of their Ordinary Shares within
the overall limits of the Tender Offer. Shareholders will be
entitled to tender 38.5 per cent. of their shares as a basic
entitlement. Further details are set out in the Circular to be
published later today.
Shareholders may decide not to
participate fully or partially in the Tender Offer for a number of
reasons, including their view of the potential for the value of the
Company to increase in the future. If a material amount of the
£33.0 million is not returned through the Tender Offer and Share
Buyback Programme, the Board will consider a possible further stage
of the Return of Value comprising a Special Dividend.
The Tender Offer is conditional on
Shareholders' approval and a general meeting of the Company is to
be held at the offices of Reed Smith LLP at The Broadgate Tower, 20
Primrose Street, London EC2A 2RS at 10.00 a.m. on 28 March 2024 to
seek the approval of Shareholders to the proposed Return of
Value.
Christopher Richards, Non-Executive
Chairman of Nanoco, said:
"Over the last five years, Nanoco
has been transformed from an R&D first mover facing going
concern challenges to a commercial manufacturer of nanomaterials,
with a growing range of leading nanomaterials and a validated IP
portfolio supported by the strongest commercial and financial
position in its history.
"Today Nanoco is announcing an
exceptional and significant return of capital to shareholders,
while retaining and investing funds to support delivery of further
value from commercial prospects and enhance our future growth and
margin profile. With growing opportunities and a fully funded
commercial business, we are confident in enhancing shareholder
value over the medium and long term."
Background to the Return of
Capital
On 24 January 2024, the Company
announced that it had received the second tranche of litigation
proceeds from Samsung after settling last year on a no-fault basis
for the alleged infringement of the Group's IP (the "Final Litigation Proceeds"). The Group
has received a net sum of $71.75 million, being $75.0 million less
the expected Korean withholding tax, which amounted to $3.25
million. The Korean withholding tax is available to offset Nanoco's
future profits in the UK. The Group previously announced the
hedging of this tranche of proceeds at a rate of $1.22 / £1.00. The
funds have been converted at this rate and generated a sterling
receipt of £58.8 million. This represents a gain of £2.1 million
compared to the exchange rate for USD on the date of
receipt.
The Board first signalled its
intention to return significant funds to shareholders on 3 February
2023 when the final settlement agreement was signed with Samsung.
At that time, the Chairman made the following statement:
"In deciding the allocation of the net proceeds, the Board
will balance any investment needs of Nanoco's growing organic
business with a firm intention to deliver a material return of
capital to shareholders."
Over the last five years, Nanoco has
been transformed from an R&D first mover facing going concern
challenges to a commercial manufacturer of nanomaterials in the
strongest commercial and financial position in its
history.
The
Board now believes that Nanoco has entered a new phase of its
development as a Company, and is confident in the Group's future
growth prospects, primarily as a result of the factors
below:
1. The Group has
successfully fulfilled its first commercial production orders for
two new materials;
2. The Group has a diverse
portfolio of second and further generation nanomaterial development
projects underway with some of the world's most respected
electronics supply chain companies, presenting a compelling
pipeline of organic growth opportunities;
3. Key display and
sensing Group patents were validated during the Samsung litigation
by the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board and Samsung felt compelled
to take out a licence over the Group's IP, with further licensing
efforts underway to support commercial opportunities;
and
4. The Group is
now fully funded and in the strongest financial position in its
history following the receipt of the Final Litigation
Proceeds.
The Board believes that the proposal
to return up to £33.0 million from the Final Litigation Proceeds to
Shareholders strikes the appropriate balance between the investment
needs of the business and the desire to return a material amount of
capital to Shareholders.
Following the shareholder
consultation noted above, the Board concluded that a Tender Offer
is the best way to return a significant amount of capital to
Shareholders in a short space of time, offering freedom of choice
to all while taking account of the relative costs, complexity and
timeframes of the various possible methods, as well as the likely
tax treatment for Shareholders.
Allocation of proceeds
It is the Board's view that the
receipt of the Final Litigation Proceeds presents a unique
opportunity in Nanoco's history to enhance its financial resilience
and invest in its operational capability, further enhancing the
Group's future growth prospects, margin profile and ability to
provide future potential returns to shareholders. Therefore,
following the completion of the £33.0 million return of capital
noted above, and after allowing for the repayment of the Group's
outstanding debt of approximately £5 million and remaining cash
reserves from the first tranche of litigation proceeds, the Group
expects to have approximately £23 million of cash available to
support the commercial business. As outlined in the circular issued
on 20 June 2023, the Board intends to use the retained funds to
invest as follows:
· Investment in the Group's production capability to enable
further production efficiencies and expansion of the Group's gross
profit margin as Nanoco continues to transition from a pure-play
R&D first mover towards a commercial producer of nanomaterials
at scale;
· Investing to accelerate a number of promising R&D projects
focused on developing new second and further generation sensing
materials;
· Expanding the Runcorn facility to create a capability to make
wafer scale sensing devices to enhance business development and
analytical services;
· Funding the Group's commercial business activities until it
becomes self-financing which is expected to be achieved during the
calendar year 2025;
· Self-funding the early stages of its IP portfolio licensing
programme. These efforts are in support of the Group's overall
commercial goals. This approach also mitigates the downside impact
on returns that would arise by using licencing agents or third
party funding; and
· The
Board is keen to ensure to the fullest extent possible that Nanoco
does not need to return to the capital markets for funding in the
foreseeable future or before the adoption of the Group's technology
in high volume consumer electronics applications. Our blue-chip
global partners and potential new customers take comfort from a
more robust balance sheet. If adoption of Nanoco's technology in
higher mass market volumes accelerates faster than expected, the
Board will have the option to return further funds to
Shareholders.
The Board remains confident that
near-term opportunities fully merit the allocation of funds noted
above, namely for growing commercial production of sensing
materials, together with the current interest in the Group's
display materials following the IP litigation and the growing
display market for CFQD® cadmium free quantum dots.
Details of the Tender
Offer
The key points to the Tender Offer
are as follows:
·
The Tender Offer is for up to
38.5 per cent. of the Company's issued share capital (excluding
Ordinary Shares held in treasury). Under the Tender Offer, each
Shareholder is entitled to have up to 38.5 per cent. of their
shareholding purchased by Cavendish at the Tender Price.
· The
Tender Offer is being made at a fixed price of 24 pence per
Ordinary Share, which represents:
o a
premium of 25.1 per cent. to the closing mid-market price per
Ordinary Share on 8 March 2024;
o a
premium of 18.4 per cent. to the 30-day volume weighted average
price per Ordinary Share on 8 March 2024; and
o a
premium of 19.6 per cent. to the 60-day volume weighted average
price per Ordinary Share on 8 March 2024.
· Shareholders will be able to decide whether to tender none,
some or all of their Ordinary Shares within the overall limits of
the Tender Offer.
· Tenders in excess of a Shareholder's Basic Entitlement will
only be accepted to the extent that other Shareholders tender less
than their Basic Entitlement or do not tender any Ordinary Shares
and, if necessary, excess demand will be scaled back on a pro rata
basis (save that tenders from Shareholders who hold 2,000 Ordinary
Shares or less will be accepted in full subject to there being
capacity to purchase those Ordinary Shares in accordance with the
terms of the Tender Offer).
All Eligible Shareholders on the
Register of Members at 6.00 p.m. on 9 April 2024 are entitled, but
not required, to tender some or all of their Ordinary Shares for
purchase by Cavendish, acting as principal, at the Tender
Price.
Subject to satisfaction of the
conditions to the Tender Offer, including Shareholders voting in
favour of the Tender Offer at the General Meeting, Ordinary Shares
which are successfully tendered under the Tender Offer will be
purchased at the Tender Price. Further details can be found in the
Circular.
Benefits of the Tender Offer for
Shareholders
The benefits of the Tender Offer for
Shareholders as a whole are that:
·
it is available to all Eligible Shareholders
regardless of the size of their holdings;
· it
provides Eligible Shareholders who wish to reduce their holdings of
Ordinary Shares with an opportunity to do so at a market driven
price at a premium of 25.1 per cent. to the closing mid-market
price per Ordinary Share on 8 March 2024;
· it provides Shareholders with an opportunity to sell their
shares without incurring any dealing costs, and therefore avoids
Shareholders holding a small number of Ordinary Shares having their
proceeds significantly eroded by dealing costs; and
· it
permits Shareholders who wish to retain their current investment in
the Company and their Ordinary Shares to do so since no Shareholder
is required to participate in the Tender Offer.
The Company intends to cancel
approximately 90 per cent. of the Ordinary Shares acquired in
connection with the Return of Value which will reduce the number of
Ordinary Shares in issue. Assuming the Company's earnings stay the
same, this should have a positive impact on the Group's earnings
per share. The Company intends to transfer the remaining
approximately 10 per cent. balance of the Ordinary Shares which are
not cancelled from treasury to the Nanoco Employee Benefit Trust to
meet potential future obligations which may arise from the
Company's share option schemes.
Notice of General Meeting
A General Meeting of the Company
will be held at the offices of Reed Smith LLP at The Broadgate
Tower, 20 Primrose Street, London EC2A 2RS at 10.00 a.m. on 28
March 2024 to seek Shareholder approval for two Resolutions in
relation to the Return of Value.
Resolution 1 seeks authority for the
Company to make market purchases of Ordinary Shares in connection
with the Tender Offer. The Resolution specifies the Tender Price
and the maximum number of Ordinary Shares which may be acquired
pursuant to this authority. The authority sought will expire on 31
December 2024.
Resolution 2 seeks authority to
approve an amendment to the rules of the Nanoco 2015 Long Term
Incentive Plan (the "LTIP") and the Nanoco 2015 Deferred Bonus Plan
(the "DBP"), which were originally approved by shareholders at the
2015 Annual General Meeting, and subsequently amended at the 2021
Annual General meeting. Awards under the LTIP and the DBP are
subject to a combined limit of exercised and outstanding options at
any point in time being less than 10 per cent. of the issued share
capital at that point in time. The cancellation of approximately 90
per cent. of the Ordinary Shares acquired as part of the Return of
Value will have a disproportionate impact on this limit. The Board
does not consider that employees should be penalised as a result of
the Return of Value which is beneficial to Shareholders. Therefore,
in order to be able to continue to issue options under the LTIP and
the DBP, Shareholders are being asked to approve an amendment to
the rules of the LTIP and DBP to allow shares held in the Nanoco
Employee Benefit Trust to be excluded in assessing the 10 per cent.
limit.
The full Notice of General Meeting
will be set out in the Circular.
Timetable
Tender Offer opens
|
11 March
2024
|
Latest time and date for receipt of
Form of Proxy or CREST Proxy Instruction in respect of General
Meeting
|
10.00 a.m.
on 26 March 2024
|
General Meeting
|
10.00 a.m.
on 28 March 2024
|
Announcement of the results of the
General Meeting
|
28 March
2024
|
Latest time and date for receipt of
Tender Forms and share certificates or other documents of title for
tendered certificated Ordinary Shares (i.e. close of the Tender
Offer)
|
1.00 p.m.
on 9 April 2024
|
Latest time and date for settlement
of TTE Instructions for tendered uncertificated Ordinary Shares
(i.e. close of the Tender Offer)
|
1.00 p.m.
on 9 April 2024
|
Record Date for the Tender
Offer
|
6.00 p.m.
on 9 April 2024
|
Announcement of the results of the
Tender Offer
|
11 April
2024
|
Unconditional Date for the Tender
Offer and purchase of Ordinary Shares under the Tender
Offer
|
12 April
2024
|
CREST accounts credited with
unsuccessfully tendered uncertificated Ordinary Shares
|
by 25
April 2024
|
CREST accounts credited in respect
of Tender Offer proceeds for uncertificated Ordinary
Shares
|
by 25
April 2024
|
Cheques despatched in respect of
Tender Offer proceeds for certificated Ordinary Shares
|
by 25
April 2024
|
Return of share certificates in
respect of unsuccessful tenders of certificated Ordinary
Shares
|
by 25
April 2024
|
Despatch of balance share
certificates in respect of unsold Ordinary Shares in certificated
form
|
by 25
April 2024
|
The dates set out in the expected
timetable may be adjusted by the Company, in consultation with
Cavendish, in which event details of the new dates will be notified
to Shareholders via an announcement through a regulatory
information service in the United Kingdom. All references are to
London time.
Circular
Capitalised terms shall have the
meaning attributed to them in the Circular unless otherwise defined
in this announcement.
Once it has been published,
following regulatory approval by the FCA, the Circular can be
viewed on the Company's website at
https://www.nanocotechnologies.com/investors/documents/ and will be
submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and available for
inspection at
https://www.fca.org.uk/markets/primary-markets/regulatory-disclosures/national-storage-mechanism
shortly. In addition, those Shareholders (other than Restricted
Shareholders) who have elected to receive hard copies of documents
will receive a copy of the Circular by post.
For further information, please
contact:
Nanoco Group plc:
Brian Tenner, CEO
Liam Gray, CFO & Company
Secretary
|
+44 (0)1928 761 404
|
Cavendish Capital Markets Limited
(Sponsor, Financial Adviser & Joint Corporate
Broker):
Ed Frisby / George Lawson (Corporate
Finance)
Tim Redfern / Charlie Combe
(Corporate Broking)
Jasper Berry (Sales)
|
+44 (0) 20 7220 0500
|
Turner Pope Investments (Joint
Corporate
Broker):
Andrew Thacker
James Pope
|
+44 (0) 20 3657 0050
|
Powerscourt (Public
Relations):
Elly Williamson
Ollie Simmonds
Nanoco@powerscourt-group.com
|
+44 (0)7970 246
725
|
The person responsible for arranging
for the release of this announcement on behalf of Nanoco is Liam
Gray, Chief Financial Officer.
About Nanoco Group plc
Nanoco (LSE: NANO) is a
nano-material production and licensing company, specialising in the
production of its patented cadmium free quantum dots (CFQD®) and
other patented nanomaterials for use in the electronics
industries.
Founded in 2001 and headquartered in
Runcorn, UK, Nanoco continues to build out a world-class,
patent-protected IP portfolio alongside the scaling of the
production for commercial orders.
Nanomaterials are materials with
dimensions typically in the range 1 - 100 nm. Nanomaterials have a
range of useful properties, including optical and electronic.
Quantum dots are a subclass of nano-material that have
size-dependent optical and electronic properties. Within the sphere
of quantum dots, the Group exploits different characteristics of
the quantum dots to target different performance criteria that are
attractive to specific markets or end-user applications such as the
Sensor, Electronics and Display markets. Nanoco's CFQD® quantum
dots are free of cadmium and other toxic heavy metals, and can be
tuned to emit light at different wavelengths across the visible and
infrared spectrum, rendering them useful for a wide range of
display applications. Nanoco's HEATWAVE™ quantum dots can be tuned
to absorb light at different wavelengths across the near-infrared
spectrum, rendering them useful for applications including cameras
and image sensors.
Nanoco is listed on the Main Market
of the London Stock Exchange, holds the LSE's Green Economy Mark,
and trades under the ticker symbol NANO. For further information
please visit: www.nanocotechnologies.com
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION
This announcement (including
information incorporated by reference in this announcement) and
other information published by Nanoco may contain statements about
Nanoco that are or may be deemed to be forward looking
statements. Such statements are prospective in nature.
All statements other than historical statements of facts may be
forward looking statements. Without limitation, statements
containing the words "targets", "plans", "believes", "expects",
"aims", "intends", "will", "may", "anticipates", "estimates",
"projects" or "considers" or other similar words may be forward
looking statements.
Forward looking statements
inherently contain risks and uncertainties as they relate to events
or circumstances in the future. Important factors such as
business or economic cycles, the terms and conditions of Nanoco's
financing arrangements, tax rates, or increased competition may
cause Nanoco's actual financial results, performance or
achievements to differ materially from any forward looking
statements. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward looking
statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Nanoco
disclaims any obligation to update any forward looking or other
statements contained herein, except as required by applicable
law.
The Tender Offer is not being made
to Shareholders resident in Australia, Canada, Japan, and the
Republic of South Africa and any country, region or territory which
is the subject of any comprehensive Sanctions (including, in each
case and without limitation, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria,
Russia, the Crimea Region of Ukraine, the so-called Donetsk
People's Republic and the so-called Luhansk People's Republic). The
distribution of this announcement in certain jurisdictions may be
restricted by law. It is the responsibility of all Overseas
Shareholders to satisfy themselves as to the observance of any
legal requirements in their jurisdiction, including, without
limitation, any relevant requirements in relation to the ability of
such holders to participate in the Tender Offer.
Cavendish Capital Markets Limited
("Cavendish"), which is
authorised and regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom, is
acting as sponsor, financial adviser and corporate broker to the
Company and no one else in connection with the Tender Offer and the
Return of Value or any other matter set out in this Announcement
and will not regard any other person as its client in relation to
the Tender Offer and the Return of Value and will not be
responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the
protections afforded to clients of Cavendish or its affiliates nor
for providing advice in relation to the Tender Offer or the Return
of Value, nor for providing advice in relation to the contents of
this document or the Tender Offer or the Return of Value or any
transaction, arrangement or matter referred to in this document.
Neither Cavendish nor any of its affiliates (nor their respective
directors, officers, employees or agents) owes or accepts any duty,
liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect,
whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any
person who is not a client of Cavendish in connection with the
Tender Offer or the Return of Value, this Announcement, any
statement contained herein or otherwise. No representation or
warranty, express or implied, is made by Cavendish as to the
contents of this Announcement.
A copy of this announcement will be
available on the Company's website at www.nanocotechnologies.com
. Neither the content of the Company's website,
nor the content on any website accessible from hyperlinks on its
website for any other website, is incorporated into, or forms part
of, this announcement nor, unless previously published by means of
a recognised information service, should any such content be relied
upon in reaching a decision as to whether or not to acquire,
continue to hold, or dispose of, securities in the
Company.