Beobachte in letzter Zeit Wheaton River (Wheaton River Minerals Ltd. 889 191, WRM) und nun das folgende:
March 30, 2004
Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia – IAMGOLD Corporation (“IAMGOLD”) (TSX:IMG, AMEX:IAG) and Wheaton River Minerals Ltd. (“Wheaton River”) (TSX:WRM, AMEX:WHT) are pleased to announce that their boards of directors have unanimously agreed to combine the two companies to create one of the world’s top ten gold producers.
Highlights
One million ounce gold producer with total cash costs of less than US$100 per gold equivalent ounce in 2004.
A strong balance sheet with US$300 million in cash and gold bullion plus excellent operating cash flow.
Unhedged, proven and probable reserves of 9 million ounces plus additional measured and indicated resources of 4 million ounces.
Combined daily average trading liquidity of approximately US$45 million.
Production to increase by over 30% to 1.3 million gold equivalent ounces in 2006.
Experienced entrepreneurial management team led by Joseph Conway and Ian Telfer.
Joseph Conway, President and CEO of IAMGOLD commented on the business combination stating: “This is a major step in the evolution of both companies. It creates a combined company with one million ounces of annual production, low cash operating costs and near-term growth that should be attractive to all investors in the gold sector.” His thoughts were echoed by William Pugliese, Chairman of IAMGOLD, who added: “I am very excited about the prospects of combining the assets and management talents of both companies”.
Ian Telfer, Chairman and CEO of Wheaton, stated: “We believe that the gold industry is about to enter a period of considerable consolidation. To be the first company out of the blocks, with a strong balance sheet and considerable cash on hand will place our combined company in a pre-eminent position to take advantage of new opportunities.”
Management and Board of Directors of the New Company
The combination has the unanimous approval of the boards of directors of IAMGOLD and Wheaton River. Management of the new company will be led by a team consisting of Joseph Conway as President and Chief Executive Officer, Ian Telfer as Executive Co-Chairman and William Pugliese as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors. The expanded Board of Directors of the Company will include the eight current IAMGOLD directors and the eight current Wheaton directors. The common shares of the new company will continue to trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the American Stock Exchange. Prior to closing the transaction the newly combined company will be renamed.
Summary of the Transaction
The combination will be completed by way of a plan of arrangement whereby each Wheaton River share will be exchanged for 0.55 of an IAMGOLD share representing a 22% premium over the five-day average closing share price of Wheaton as of March 30, 2004. As a result of the proposed transaction, the combined company will be held 68% by existing Wheaton shareholders and 32% by existing IAMGOLD shareholders.
The combination is subject to due diligence, to be concluded before April 30, 2004 whereupon the parties will enter into a definitive agreement. The combination is subject to receipt of fairness opinions, all requisite regulatory approvals and third party consents and other conditions customary in transactions of this nature. The combination must be approved by at least two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders of Wheaton and by a majority of the votes cast by the shareholders of IAMGOLD. The shareholder meetings are expected to be held in June 2004, with the transaction expected to close shortly thereafter.
If the combination does not occur as a result of one of the parties accepting a superior proposal from a competing bidder then the party which accepted the superior proposal will be required to pay a fee equal to three percent of its market capitalization to the other party.
IAMGOLD’s financial advisors are National Bank Financial Inc. and RBC Capital Markets. Wheaton’s financial advisors are GMP Securities Ltd. and Endeavour Financial Corporation
Für Wheaton River scheint das ein ganz guter Deal zu sein, die Aktie hat gleich mal um 10,69 % in Frankfurt zugelegt, während Iamgold nur um 1,75% gestiegen ist. Aber vielleicht sind die auch etwas höher bewertet.
Was ist von der neuen Minengesellschaft zu erwarten ?