Fernando Chico Pardo last week completed his acquisition of the remaining 49% stake in Inversiones y Tecnicas Aeroportuarias (ITA) he did not own. Chico Pardo acquired the stake from Copenhagen Airports, which recorded a $51.7m equivalent adjustment to their profit as a result. Chico Pardo is the chairman and CEO of Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR), a Mexican airport operator. He is also the founder of PE firm Promecap. ITA holds 100% of ASUR’s Class BB shares, approximately 7.65% of ASUR’s capital. According to SEC documents, Chico Pardo now owns approximately 73.9% of Asur, both directly and through his holding companies Agrupacion Aeroportuaria Internacional II and Servicios de Estrategia Patrimonial. ASUR did not return calls seeking comment.
Category: Regions
Guatemalan Bank Revisits Bolsa Dream
Guatemala’s Banco Industrial is reconsidering a listing on Mexico’s Bolsa, which it tried to do before the 2008-2009 credit crisis put paid to the transaction. Guatemala’s largest bank would consider a 20%-25% float, Luis Prado, director of the bank’s international division tells LatinFinance, noting that the exact timing has yet to be determined. Fresh cross-border debt issuance, including DPR securitizations, which it last raised in 2005 for $200m, could also be an option to fund expansion, he says. “Our goal is to expand through Central America,” Prado says. Already operating in Honduras, the bank opens in December in El Salvador, after receiving the appropriate licensing this year. Panama and Costa Rica are more distant possibilities for organic or acquisition-based expansion, he says. The bank will focus on organic growth in the domestic market to keep it competitive in the intensifying credit market, Prado says, but will not focus on domestic M&A. Fitch last week upgraded to positive from stable the BB credit rating of Industrial. The improved outlook reflects the bank’s strong local franchise, resilient asset quality and well-contained credit costs, adequate funding and liquidity, and good and stable profitability, says the agency. Fitch adds that the rating could be lifted if the bank sustains these trends and further improves capital adequacy. Industrial had 27% of the Guatemalan banking system’s assets and deposits as of June.
BP Reported Selling Venezuela Assets
A BP spokesman declines to comment on statements by German Khan, CEO of BP joint venture TNK-BP, stating that his company would acquire several of the oil company’s assets in Venezuela. According to press reports, Khan told reporters TNK-BP would acquire 16.7% of Petromanagas, 40% of Petroperija and 26.6% of Bougeron. BP also declined to comment on the potential value of those assets, though they have been estimated at $1bn, according to an industry banker not associated with the deal. Khan has been looking for assets to acquire in LatAm, the banker says, but this is his first acquisition of oil assets on the continent. He had previously acquired non-oil & gas assets outside of Venezuela, the banker says.
PDVSA Sells 50% of Ruhr Oel
PDVSA has agreed to sell a 50% stake in Ruhr Oel GmbH to Russian oil and gas company Rosneft for $1.6bn excluding PDVSA’s share of crude inventory and receivables to be valued at closing, according to the buyer. Ruhr Oel GmbH is a 50/50 downstream JV between BP and PDVSA with stakes in 4 German refining and petrochemical complexes. Venezuela’s national assembly has also approved a 60/40 JV between PDVSA and ENI Lasmo, a subsidiary of Italian oil company ENI to develop Junin Block 5. According to a statement from the national assembly, the block is expected to produce up to 240,000 barrels of super heavy crude a day.
Ecopetrol Outlook Revised Up
Ecopetrol’s outlook has been revised to positive from stable by Fitch, after Colombia’s sovereign rating outlook was revised. Ecopetrol’s foreign and local currency issuer default ratings remain the same, at BB+ and BBB- respectively. Colombia’s outlook revision to positive reflects the country’s economic resilience and improved macroeconomic performance in relation to its peers, says Fitch. The country’s expected increase in oil and mining is also likely to benefit overall economic activity. Ecopetrol’s ratings reflect its strong financial profile, improving production capacity and adequate reserve levels, adds Fitch. The company’s growth strategy and associated capital investment are also considered aggressive. The ratings reflect the close link with the Republic of Colombia, which owns 89.9% of Ecopetrol.
IFC Guarantees Honduran Loan
The IFC is guaranteeing 36% of a subnational loan for Honduras’ central district municipality for $44m equivalent in local currency. This is the first time that the IFC has guaranteed a loan in Honduras not backed by the sovereign, says Javier Atala, general manager and executive vice president of Banco Financiera Comercial Hondurena (Ficohsa), lead arranger on the loan. The loan has an 8-year term and pays 16%, he tells LatinFinance.. Besides Ficohsa, others participating in the syndication are Banco Atlantida and Banco de Occidente. Out of the 16% interest rate, he says the banks syndicating the loan will divide 14% in equal parts and the IFC will get the remainder as commission. Ficohsa is lending $14.7m equivalent, Occidente $13.2m and Atlantida $13.2m, Atala says. The loan will be used to repair roads and implement an early flood warning system in the district, which includes Tegucigalpa.
Su Casita Defaults on Debt Payments
Mexico’s mortgage lender Hipotecaria Su Casita says it has defaulted on MXP730m, including MXP306m in long-term debt. Su Casita last week presented a restructuring plan to holders of MXP8.74bn in debt, offering longer-dated new debt and equity. The deal represents recovery of 70% in the case of short-term debt, and 51% for long-term debt holders, Su Casita says. As a result, Moody’s downgraded the ratings of the mortgage lender’s senior unsecured debt and global scale local currency to Ca from Caa2. The ratings are on review for possible downgrade. Holders of MXP6.75bn in long-term notes denominated in pesos and dollars would receive MXP1.5bn in new 5-year debt guaranteed by non-operating assets, paying TIIE plus 250bp (7.345% all in), MXP550m in new 3-year instruments guaranteed by non-operating assets, and MXP500m in 10-year subordinated convertible bonds with rates of 3%-8%, representing 10% of the restructured company’s capital upon conversion, as well as capital equal to 19.98% of the restructured company. Moody’s says this is a distressed exchange, which it considers a form of default. Su Casita, 40% owned by Spain’s Caja Madrid, has been seeking alternatives since a deal to sell itself to BBVA Bancomer fell through in September. Rothschild is advising on the restructuring, according to a company official.
KOF Eyes Panama’s Industrias Lacteas
Mexico-based Coca-Cola bottler Coca-Cola FEMSA (KOF) says in a regulatory filing that it could acquire Panama’s Grupo Industrias Lacteas, the largest milk buyer in the country. The price is not disclosed, although Panama media say KOF could pay upwards of $200m. KOF says the acquisition will allow it to enter the milk and dairy products segment. Lacteas leads the dairy segment in Panama, with 3 manufacturing plants and almost 1,800 employees, according to KOF. The deal is subject to completion of due diligence and government authorizations. Company officials could not be reached for comment.
Hochschild Cuts Canada Exposure
Hochschild says in a press release it is reducing its stake in Canadian gold miner Lake Shore Gold to 6% from 35%. The stake is being sold for CAD392m or CAD3.60 per share on a bought deal basis to Canada-based banks RBC Dominion, BMO Nesbitt Burns and CIBC World Markets. Proceeds from the sale will be used to bring the Azuca and Inmaculada projects to production. Wednesday, Hochschild said it would acquire a 30% stake in the Inmaculada gold and silver project in southern Peru from Arizona-based JV partner International Minerals, bringing the total stake to 60%. The deal involves an initial cash consideration of $15m, an agreement to fund the project’s first $100m of capex and a $20m private placement with International Minerals.
Peru Sets Up Infrastructure Fund
Peru’s finance ministry announced the creation of a $460m infrastructure fund. Local pension funds have committed $220m, Brookfield Asset Management has committed $100m, multilateral CAF $40m and Cofide $100m. The fund will invest in companies in the energy, gas, transportation, water and health sectors among others in Peru. A ministry spokeswoman says the fund will invest in shares and convertible debt. She adds that the fund will begin investing in 2011 and expects to conclude the investment period in 4 years. The fund will hold investments for about 12 years on average, she says. The fund is being managed by Brookfield and AC Capitales, a local private equity shop.