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Itochu to take complete control of 2 units and start buyback

Japanese trading house Itochu said on Monday it would spend 220 billion yen ($ 1.5. billion) to take complete control of two systems, including garments. business Descente, and begin buying back 150 billion yen worth of. its own shares on Tuesday.

The offers become part of a trend among Japanese companies to. dissolve double listings of parent and subsidiary business to. enhance business governance and improve operational performance.

Itochu, which owns 44.44% of Descente, will invest. 182.6 billion yen to purchase the remaining stake through a tender. offer of 4,350 yen per share, a 16.6% premium to Friday's. closing cost.

It will also invest 37.6 billion yen to buy the 44.31% it. does not own in chemicals business CI Takiron via a. tender deal of 870 yen per share, a 9.7% premium to Friday's. closing price.

Itochu aims to begin the tender deal for Descente by early. November, following the sign-off from competition authorities in. Japan and China, while the tender for CI Takiron will be. carried out from Aug. 6 to Sept. 18.

We wish to make Descente the core of our textile company,. Itochu finance chief Tsuyoshi Hachimura informed a press conference,. highlighting its development potential as a sports garments brand name in. Japan and overseas.

The costs is part of Itochu's record 1 trillion yen. financial investment strategy in development locations for the current financial year,. revealed in April.

The business also said it would conduct a 150 billion yen. share buyback program announced in April from Aug. 6 to March. 31, as part of a goal to attain a 50% overall shareholder return. ratio this year.

Net earnings at Itochu, in which U.S. investor Warren Buffett. holds a stake, fell 3.1% to 206.6 billion yen in the April-June. quarter due to lower profits at its energy and chemicals. company and its metals organization, however the company stuck to its. full-year earnings forecast of 880 billion yen.

(source: Reuters)