GrupoSura Pays up for ING Assets

Colombia’s Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana (GrupoSura) is paying a hefty price for ING’s insurance and other financial assets in Chile, Colombia, Mexico Uruguay and Peru, according to analysts that follow the company. GrupoSura agreed to acquire the assets for EUR2.68bn ($3.9bn), consisting of EUR65m in assumed debt and EUR2.615bn in cash. The deal values the assets at a 1.8x book value, or 18x estimated 2011 earnings on a GAAP basis. The deal comes at the high end of analyst expectations for the value of the operations, and at a significant premium to the 0.7x price-to-book ratio. “It’s an extremely good price,” says Jan Willem Weidama of ABN Amro, who says the consensus value for the assets was around EUR1.9bn. The deal excludes ING’s 36% stake in Brazilian insurer Sul America, which is valued for around EUR800m, around 2x book value. “Relative to our expectations it’s at the top end,” says a Europe-based equity investor. “They’re solid activities. They have leading market positions” in their respective countries. “If you get 1.8x…that seems very good,” says Dirk Peeters of KBC Securities “It’s a very good franchise. The growth expectations are simply higher in that region so that translates into a good price.” The transaction consists of mandatory pension and voluntary savings businesses, ING’s 80% stake in AFP Integra and 33.7% stake in InVita Seguros de Vida, including the company’s investment management capabilities in those countries. In May, Gruposura issued $300m in 2021 debut dollar bonds which it could use to help finance the acquisition. Gruposura says it is also hearing interest from international funds that may be interested in participating in the financing of the acquisition. Goldman Sachs managed the sale, while UBS and Bancolombia advised GrupoSura. GrupoSura’s shares closed COP36,000 on Monday, up from .the COP35,440 close on Friday.