Evergrande Liquidators Receive Initial Offers for Property Services Arm
The liquidators of China Evergrande Group have received non-binding indicative offers for the developer's majority stake in its property management arm, and potential bidders will be invited to submit final offers as soon as November, a filing showed.
Evergrande's liquidators control a 51.016% holding in Evergrande Property Services Group, according to the filing by the unit on Thursday. Evergrande Services had a market value of about HK$9.95 billion ($1.28 billion) before the announcement, LSEG data showed.
The filing said the liquidators have signed confidentiality agreements with multiple parties and received non-binding offers from some of them. Shares of Evergrande Services surged as much as 40% on Friday, before trimming gains to 25% by mid-morning. The shares were suspended from trading on Thursday pending an announcement under Hong Kong's Takeovers and Mergers Code.
Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg News reported that subsidiaries of state-owned China Overseas Holdings and China Resources Holdings are among the bidders who have indicated interest in Evergrande Services. China Overseas Property Holdings told Reuters it has not bid for Evergrande Services. China Overseas Holdings and China Resources Holdings did not respond to requests for comment.
Evergrande Services, like its parent, has been hit hard by China's prolonged real estate crisis, which has persisted despite repeated efforts by Beijing to shore up demand. Its shares have plunged more than 95% since peaking in 2021.
Under a 'liquidator's auction', it appears nothing firm will occur until at least November, said David Blennerhassett, an analyst at Smartkarma. 'It will also be interesting to see if the investor - if a single bidder - seeks to maintain EPS's (Evergrande Services') listing, or aims for compulsory acquisition.'
Evergrande, once China's top-selling developer, is the world's most indebted property company. Its liquidators are seeking buyers for its stakes in Evergrande Services and electric vehicle maker Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group, its two most valuable assets. ($1 = 7.7892 Hong Kong dollars).
