Colleagues at The Sunday Times wheeled out a bunch of UK deal predictions ahead of the first full working week of 2024.
In a piece headlined "Britain for sale" laid out across pages 2 and 3 of the business section Oliver Gill, Jon Yeomans and Laith Al-Khalaf wrote a lengthy feature about potential takeovers involving London-listed companies this year...
Tucked away in the middle of today's The Times business section is a rather intriguing piece by Rob Lea of The Times that suggests FTSE 250-listed buget airline easyJet may soon become a bid target.
The piece starts off with the suggestion that IAG, owner of British Airways and Iberia, is keen on carrying out further consolidation of the European airline sector and that TAP, the Portuguese flag carrier, could be its next target...
It's been over six months since Wizz Air abandoned its takeover bid for rival budget airline easyJet, so I guess it isn't a surprise that brokers are pushing the idea again.
According to scribblers over at Davy, an easyJet - Wizz Air merger should be "revisited". That's an interesting opinion!
Anyway, I have pasted the main thrust of the analyst at Davy's argument below in case you are interested:..
There was an odd headline story floating about on Bloomberg last week about easyJet, the London-listed budget airline that last September received a merger approach from Wizz Air.
Johan Lundgren, the boss of easyJet, was quoted on the record as saying easyJet "doesn't need an acquisition or partner".
But who said easyJet does need an acquisition or partner?..
So, easyJet confirmed it is launching a £1.2 billion equity capital raising and also disclosed it had a received a takeover approach, which it has rejected. Below is the link to the statement. Below is a link:
I see rivals at Bloomberg have a "scoop" about easyJet working on a £1.4 billion equity capital raising.
Well, in case you don't remember little old Betaville reported in January this year that budget airline was/is plotting with its advisers about how to raise fresh equity capital. Below is the link:..
Easyjet, the London-listed budget airline company, is at the centre of speculation it is set to launch another equity fundraising.
People following the situation have heard rumours easyJet is actively working with its advisers on a potential fundraising via a placing or rights issue.
However, it's not clear how much easyJet is looking to raise from investors. One person following the situation suggested easyJet could look to tap shareholders for up to £500 million...
It would appear analysts at Morgan Stanley were bang on the money with their prediction that Upper Crust owner SSP would have to carry out a second equity issue.
Indeed, Alice Hancock and Gill Plimmer of the Financial Times have just dug out a rather good scoop suggesting SSP is looking to raise £500 million by way of a rights issue. That is more than double than what the company raised last year on the equity market. Below is a link to their piece:..
There has been plenty of talk over the last few weeks in the London market that some of the big London-listed companies that raised cash on the equity markets last year will be going back to shareholders in the next few weeks or months for fresh funds.
Indeed, JD Wetherspoons last night declared it is looking to raise up to £93 million after receiving £137 million from investors last year...
We are only into the second full trading of the year but scribblers at Citigroup are quick out the blocks with their prediction that easyJet will have to carry out another equity issue, most likely in the second quarter of this year...