Australian vet plans $29m offering to catch China livestock export wave

Source:Reuters-Global Times Published: 2015-11-19 20:28:01

An Australian pig veterinarian plans to raise A$40 million ($29 million) in an IPO, saying he plans to use the cash to buy 12 livestock health businesses and capitalize on an export boom tipped to follow a trade deal with China.

Companies linked to Australian agriculture exports are defying a slowdown in IPO activity and rushing to list in 2015, hoping to benefit from a Free Trade Agreement that involves cutting tariffs on some A$100 billion of annual trade with the country's biggest export destination.

"These changes to tariffs are expected to be significant developments for Australian producers given that China is a substantial trade partner," said the latest Australian agribusiness firm to list, Apiam Animal Health, in a prospectus.

Apiam, formed by pig vet Chris Richards in 1998, plans to use the IPO proceeds to buy 12 vet businesses treating 35 percent of the country's pig industry, 50 percent of its beef cattle industry and 25 percent of its dairy cattle industry, the prospectus said.

The company plans to sell 40 million of its 98.5 million shares at A$1 each, giving it a market capitalization of A$98.5 million. Richards plans to keep the rest, worth A$58.5 million.

Since the company's earnings will come from businesses it plans to buy after the IPO, Apiam gave no profit history but said it expected pretax earnings to grow 15 percent year-on-year in the current financial year.

The company plans to debut on the Australian Securities Exchange on December 17. Shaw and Partners is the lead manager on the IPO.



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