The Selfwealth Ltd (ASX: SWF) share price has jumped 20% after the ASX-listed broker revealed takeover talks.
This broking business has been operating since 2012 and says it wants to “empower everyday Australians to navigate their wealth-building journeys — without having to spend a fortune on brokerage fees.”
Selfwealth Ltd (ASX: SWF) share price
Takeover interest
In an ASX announcement, Selfwealth acknowledged media speculation regarding a potential transaction with Stakeshop Pty Ltd, otherwise known as Stake.
Selfwealth said that it “regularly considers” opportunities for industry consolidation as a “means to optimise value” for Selfwealth shareholders.
In recent weeks, Selfwealth received a confidential, non-binding, indicative proposal from Stake to buy Selfwealth through a ‘scheme of arrangement’ at a cash price of $0.175 per share.
The Selfwealth board said that it had carefully assessed the offer and formed the view that Stake’s “incomplete and conditional proposal did not offer appropriate value to Selfwealth shareholders.”
Therefore, the board decided the offer was not in the best interests of Selfwealth shareholders to engage in substantive discussions with Stake.
Reasons for rejecting the offer
After its first profit that was made in FY23, the Selfwealth board believes the ASX share is in a “solid financial position” with $12.4 million of net cash as of 30 June 2023 and the company said that it has “meaningful growth opportunities.”
The broker has also recently started a “comprehensive cost optimisation programme” – it plans to share more details at the upcoming investor presentation on 17 October 2023.
Final thoughts on the Selfwealth share rice
It’s understandable why this offer was rejected. The Selfwealth share price was trading at around this level in September 2023 and it was higher six months ago.
FY23 saw the business grow operating revenue by 45% to $29.4 million. It achieved positive net operating cashflow of $2.5 million, while net profit was $0.1 million.
Even at the current price it’s only valued at 13x FY23’s operating cashflow, and that valuation includes net cash of $12 million as at June 2023.
I think Selfwealth is significantly undervalued at this stage, so the board was right to reject the offer. The Selfwealth share price could easily double over the next year or two if its operating cash flow (and profit) keeps rising.
