TOP NEWS: Renishaw puts itself up for sale as founders seek to hand on

(Alliance News) - Renishaw PLC announced Tuesday it is launching a formal sale process, after the ...

Alliance News 2 March, 2021 | 8:54AM
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(Alliance News) - Renishaw PLC announced Tuesday it is launching a formal sale process, after the pair who started the engineering and scientific technology firm in 1973 decided it is time to pass on the business.

Renishaw shares were up 17% at 6,787.49 pence in early trade in London, giving a market capitalisation of about GBP5 billion.

Executive Chair David McMurtry and Non-Executive Deputy Chair John Deer, the company's founders, have indicated they intend to sell their "very substantial" shareholdings in Renishaw. Together, the founders own around 53% of the group, and have expressed a preference for the disposal of their entire combined shareholding.

The board has mulled over various options with its advisers, Renishaw said, and has unanimously concluded that it would be appropriate to investigate the sale of the company and thus is launching a formal sale process. UBS is acting as sole financial adviser and corporate broker to the company.

"We are both grateful for our continued good health, however we recognise that neither of us is getting any younger. Now finding ourselves in our 80s, our thoughts have increasingly turned to considering the future of our shareholdings in the company and how we can actively contribute to securing the future success of the business. With that in mind, we approached the rest of the board to indicate that we felt the time was now right to discuss the best way to achieve this," said McMurtry and Deer.

The company said it is looking for a buyer "who will respect the unique heritage and culture of the business, its commitment to the local communities in which its operations are based, and who will enable the company to continue to prosper in the long-term."

Senior Independent Non-Executive Director David Grant commented: "David and John have been exceptional stewards and majority holders of Renishaw as evidenced by the company's long-term track record of innovation, success and value creation."

Last month, Renishaw reported a big jump in profit in the first half of its financial year, crediting cost savings and improved productivity from its 'Fit for the Future' programme. For the six months ended December 31, Renishaw posted pretax profit of GBP63.9 million, up more than six-fold from GBP9.9 million recorded the year prior.

This was despite revenue dipping 1.7% lower to GBP255.1 million from GBP259.4 million.

By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security Name Price Change (%) Morningstar
Rating
Renishaw PLC 4,062.26 GBX 0.43 -

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