Aberdeen Asset Management has confirmed that it is to buy Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) from Lloyds Banking Group for £660 million, making Aberdeen the largest listed investment group in Europe with assets under management in the region of £350 billion.
If You Own Shares in Aberdeen
If you own shares in Aberdeen (ADN) you will have welcomed today’s news given that it prompted a 14% surge in the share price. The transaction should see the firm’s assets under management swell by £136 billion, with annualised revenues set to rise by around £234 million.
In addition to SWIP, Aberdeen will also purchase SWIP's related private equity and infrastructure fund management business, and its Investment Solutions business. The deal will also see Aberdeen benefit from distribution opportunities with Lloyds’ retail business, according to a press release.
Aberdeen chief executive Martin Gilbert said this morning that the transaction is “significant for the long-term prospects of Aberdeen in a number of ways” and added that he is “confident that this transaction will deliver considerable additional value to our expanded client base and this will therefore benefit our shareholders.”
Aberdeen shares are fairly valued at present, according to Morningstar’s Equity Quantitative Research. The good news for investors is that the firm is deemed to have a narrow economic moat, or sustainable competitive advantage, and our valuation estimate comes with a medium level of uncertainty, which is a positive in an industry where uncertainty levels tend to be high. Aberdeen has moderate financial health according to our quantitative ratings.
If You Own Shares in Lloyds
For Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) shareholders, the market response to the news wasn’t quite so upbeat, though shares did rise 1.2% on Monday. That said, the stock remains moderately undervalued, according to Morningstar analysts. Banking analyst Erin Davis values the company at 92p per share, well above its current 76p price tag, earning the stock a 4-star Morningstar rating.
Lloyds said it will get an initial 132 million new Aberdeen shares, worth around £560 million and representing 9.9% of Aberdeen's enlarged share capital. In a statement, Lloyds said it plans to be a supportive shareholder of Aberdeen.
Lloyds will also enter into a "long-term" strategic asset management relationship, which will see Aberdeen manage assets on behalf of the bank. Lloyds will get an extra £100 million from the deal, payable over the next five years, depending on the growth in business generated from the strategic relationship with the bank.
The transaction is expected to complete at the end of the first quarter of 2014.