Investor HAL wants to take over Boskalis entirely: offer with premium of 28% | Financial

That company, which was involved last year in salvaging the huge stalled container ship on the Suez Canal, is currently bid for €32.50 per share, a 28% premium over Wednesday’s closing price.

HAL is a listed company that invests in various companies. Until last year, HAL also had a majority interest in the optical group GrandVision, known for the Pearle eyewear chain. But that was sold for billions of euros.

According to a statement, the investor will not change the direction of Boskalis. Also in the area of ​​employment, everything would remain the same. HAL has been a shareholder since 1989 and says it supports Boskalis’ existing strategy.

“Good performance in towage services”

This is what DFT reporter Yteke de Jong thinks:

“The news of shareholder HAL’s offer for Boskalis overshadows the good figures for 2021. The maritime service provider managed to boost turnover and profit in the second corona year, in which the performance of towage services is particularly striking. The order book is well filled, including for wind energy projects. One uncertainty is the rising oil price, which could make projects less likely to get off the ground in a possible recession.”

Boskalis states that it was informed by HAL about its plans earlier this week. The management board and the supervisory board want to carefully consider the offer in the near future before a real response follows.

Boskalis as a whole has a price tag of 4.2 billion euros. That is not the amount that HAL would pay, because the investor already owns an interest of more than 46 percent in Boskalis.

HAL is a listed company that invests in various companies. Until last year, HAL also had a majority interest in the optical group GrandVision, known for the Pearle eyewear chain. But that was sold for billions of euros.

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