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BHP Group has proposed a takeover of Anglo American that values the smaller miner at R570 billion, in a deal that would create the world’s top copper producer while sparking the industry’s biggest shakeup in over a decade.
The world's biggest mining company proposed an all-share deal in which Anglo would first spin off controlling stakes in South African platinum and iron ore companies to its shareholders before being acquired by BHP. The total per-share value of the non-binding proposal is about £25.08 (R600), BHP said, a 14% premium to Anglo’s closing share price on Wednesday.
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A tie-up with Anglo would give BHP roughly 10% of global copper mine supply ahead of an expected shortage that many market watchers have predicted will send prices soaring.
If successful, the transaction would mark a return to large-scale dealmaking for BHP, while potentially flushing out other suitors aiming to boost their exposure to the metal that’s closely linked to the global energy transition.
Anglo shares jumped 13% in London on Thursday morning to £24.92 apiece, for a market value of £30.5 billion. The company said in a statement late on Wednesday that its board was reviewing the proposal, which it confirmed after Bloomberg first reported BHP’s interest. BHP, which has a value of about $146 billion, fell 2.6%.
Anglo American has long been viewed as a potential target among the largest miners, particularly because it owns attractive South American copper operations at a time when most of the industry is eager to add reserves and production.
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However, suitors have been put off by its complicated structure and mix of other commodities from platinum to diamonds, and especially its deep exposure to South Africa. Anglo has faced a series of major setbacks over the past year as prices for some of its key products plunged, while operational difficulties have forced the company to slash its production targets — driving down its valuation and leaving the company vulnerable to potential bidders.
Still, analysts suggested that BHP may need to raise its offer — Anglo shares were trading above £30 early last year.
“We would be surprised if this is BHP’s final offer,” analysts from Jefferies LLC led by Christopher LaFemina said in an emailed note. “We estimate that a price of at least £28/sh would be necessary for serious discussions to take place, and a takeout price of well above £30 per share would be the outcome if other bidders were to get involved.”
Big Deals
A successful takeover would represent the first mega deal among the world’s biggest diversified miners in more than a decade.
BHP and its rivals spent years on the sidelines after a series of disastrous transactions, but there has been a growing expectation that the industry is heading for a wave of mergers and acquisitions as companies are flush with cash and management teams have worked hard to reassure investors that they have learnt from past mistakes.
BHP last year bought copper producer OZ Minerals for about $6.4 billion in its first major purchase in years, but has otherwise focused until now on selling assets such as oil, gas and coal.
The clear lure here would be Anglo’s South American copper business, long eyed by bigger players in the industry — even though it has recently faced setbacks and has had to reduce its production forecasts.
While BHP said that Anglo’s non-South African iron ore business and its coking coal mines in Australia would fit well with its existing operations, the future of Anglo’s De Beers diamond unit was less certain.
BHP, which was once a major diamond producer itself, said that business would be put on a strategic review, along with other Anglo assets, which would likely include its nickel operations in Brazil. Anglo is separately also considering the sale of De Beers, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
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The combination proposed by BHP would be likely to draw antitrust scrutiny, particularly given the large percentage of global copper production that would be concentrated into a single company.
Governments around the world are increasingly viewing copper as a strategic mineral, given its central role in the energy transition. BHP produced about 1.2 million tons of copper last year on an equity basis, while Anglo’s output was 826 000 tons.
It’s also possible that the proposal for Anglo could now prompt others to make a move. The world's second largest miner Rio Tinto has also been investing in copper production. Last year Glencore made an unsuccessful offer for Teck Resources which has a coveted copper business, before eventually reaching a deal for the Canadian company’s coal assets.
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Anglo’s valuation may make it more attractive, but it remains a highly complicated business. The company owns majority stakes in two South African-listed miners — Anglo American Platinum and Kumba Iron Ore. It also has a long and complicated relationship with South Africa, where the state pension fund is its biggest shareholder.
BHP’s proposal was to first hand Anglo’s stakes in the two South African businesses to the smaller company’s investors before proceeding with a takeover, Anglo said. The two parts of the proposal would be “interconditional”, it said.
Anglo’s other operations include copper, nickel, steelmaking coal and Brazilian iron ore, as well as the iconic De Beers business. Both companies are also investing in new fertiliser businesses — BHP is building a massive potash mine in Canada, while Anglo is developing a polyhalite mine on the east coast of the UK.
