Changes are happening - please bear with us while we update our site.

Changes are happening - please bear with us while we update our site.

Infratil (IFT) Confirms Bid for Vodafone New Zealand

Infratil Ltd (ASX:IFT) has confirmed media speculation this morning that they are in discussions to potentially acquire Vodafone New Zealand from Vodafone Group Plc.

Infratil Ltd (ASX:IFT) has confirmed media speculation this morning that they are in discussions to potentially acquire Vodafone New Zealand from Vodafone Group Plc.

About Infratil

Infratil is a New Zealand-based infrastructure investment company. It owns a range of diversified assets including airports, electricity generators, retailers, and a public transport business. Its operations cover New Zealand, Australia and the US. Infratil currently has a market capitalisation of $2.43 billion.

ACCC Denies TPG-Vodafone Merger

This news has closely followed the ACCC decision to rule out a merger between TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX:TPM) and Hutchison Telecommunications Ltd (ASX:HTA), the owner of Vodafone.

Although this decision surprised many analysts, it seems Vodafone is still a target for an acquisition.

What Did Infratil Actually Say?

Infratil made an announcement in response to “media speculation”, confirming that “it and another party are in discussions with Vodafone Group Plc (Vodafone)” to acquire Vodafone New Zealand.

Infratil stressed that the discussions are still at a very early stage and it will continue to update the market.

“The discussions with Vodafone and financiers are ongoing and incomplete and may not result in a transaction occurring”, the statement said.

Is This Likely to Go Ahead?

It is far too early to say whether this transaction could go ahead. There are currently legal challenges underway regarding the TPG-Vodafone merger and Vodafone may not be looking to sell any part of the business until that verdict is delivered.

However, the Vodafone Group 2018 annual report does show that Vodafone New Zealand is stuck in a period of slow growth and was weighing down other segments of the business last year.

The annual report states: “In New Zealand, service revenue declined 0.5%, with growth in mobile offset by pressure in fixed. We continue to explore a potential Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Vodafone New Zealand.”

This could be taken as a sign that Vodafone Group may be looking to offload Vodafone New Zealand, but again it’s too early to speculate on the Infratil acquisition.

With all these uncertainties, I’d be more comfortable investing in one of the proven businesses in the free report below.

[ls_content_block id=”14945″ para=”paragraphs”]

Disclosure: At the time of writing, Max does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned.

 

 

$50,000 per year in passive income from shares? Yes, please!

With interest rates UP, now could be one of the best times to start earning passive income from a portfolio. Imagine earning 4%, 5% — or more — in dividend passive income from the best shares, LICs, or ETFs… it’s like magic.

So how do the best investors do it?

Chief Investment Officer Owen Rask has just released his brand new passive income report. Owen has outlined 10 of his favourite ETFs and shares to watch, his rules for passive income investing, why he would buy ETFs before LICs and more.

You can INSTANTLY access Owen’s report for FREE by CLICKING HERE NOW and creating a 100% FREE Rask Account.

(Psst. By creating a free Rask account, you’ll also get access to 15+ online courses, 1,000+ podcasts, invites to events, a weekly value investing newsletter and more!)

Unsubscribe anytime. Read our TermsFinancial Services GuidePrivacy Policy. We’ll never sell your email address. Our company is Australian owned.

Information warning: The information on this website is published by The Rask Group Pty Ltd (ABN: 36 622 810 995) is limited to factual information or (at most) general financial advice only. That means, the information and advice does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not specific to you, your needs, goals or objectives. Because of that, you should consider if the advice is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on the information. If you don’t know what your needs are, you should consult a trusted and licensed financial adviser who can provide you with personal financial product advice. In addition, you should obtain and read the product disclosure statement (PDS) before making a decision to acquire a financial product. Please read our Terms and Conditions and Financial Services Guide before using this website. The Rask Group Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative (#1280930) of AFSL #383169.

Skip to content