Mubadala to take Canada’s CI Financial private in about $8.7 billion deal

11/25/2024

1 minute read

2024.11.25 12:57

By Pritam Biswas

(Reuters) -Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Capital will take CI Financial private in a C$12.1 billion ($8.66 billion) all-cash deal, including debt, the Canadian asset and wealth manager said on Monday.

Shares of CI Financial jumped about 30% to hover around Mubadala’s offer price of C$32 per share, which represents a more than 33% premium to the stock’s Friday close.

The share jump indicates investor confidence in the deal, which CI Financial said will support its expansion in the United States, where it operates as Corient.

CI Financial has been a divisive name among equity investors given a largely aggressive debt-financed M&A expansion strategy to build out its U.S. wealth management platform, Scotiabank (TSX:) said in a note.

It has been spending aggressively to expand in the United States where it acquired several companies and advisory firms in the last few years. The company’s U.S. assets had grown by over 50% since 2022, as of September 2024.

“Mubadala Capital invests with a long-term outlook and represents long-term capital – providing stability and certainty for CI’s clients and employees,” Kurt MacAlpine, CI’s chief executive, said in a statement.

MacAlpine, who will continue in his position, will roll all his equity in the transaction. Other members of the senior management who hold about 1.5% of the firm are also expected to have the opportunity to enter into equity rollover agreements.

“Mubadala will overnight gain a massive knowledge advantage within North America that it can parlay into growth here (in the U.S.) and cache overseas,” said Michael Ashley Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital Advisors.

CI Financial, which was founded in 1965, operates primarily in Canada, the United States and Australia. It had about C$518.1 billion in client assets as of Sept. 30.