IOOF is set to become one of the largest wealth managers in
-Is the transaction too big and too risky for IOOF?
-Is the acquisition really 20% accretive?
-Volatility in the share price likely
The purchase of MLC Wealth will make
This is a long-dated deal with approval likely to take up to 10 months and full integration a further three years. The company anticipates 50% of the
However, Morgan Stanley points out MLC has lost market share for the past decade, and experienced outflows in the 12 months to
Importantly, the broker believes IOOF needs to reduce the outflows in MLC to hold onto the potential 20% accretion it anticipates into FY23. IOOF would also be integrating the ANZ OnePath and MLC deals at the same time.
Synergies?
Moreover, the broker argues the deal is dilutive compared with the guided headline rate of 20% accretion to earnings per share. The broker asserts this figure assumes the deal is completed on
Yet the acquisition will not be completed until the end of FY21 and this throws some variables into the mix.
Ord Minnett upgrades to Buy from Hold, although has some reservations about the deal and the price and this concern centres on whether all synergy targets can be achieved. Nevertheless the broker's Buy rating is underpinned by a belief that consensus estimates for FY21 are understated compared with long-term metrics as well as the raising of equity ahead of completion of the purchase.
Moreover, comparisons with other diversified financial stocks are favourable and, even if some advisers leave MLC, Ord Minnett suggests the attrition risk can be contained. The company's acquisition of both OnePath and now MLC have also, arguably, been completed in the wake of up-to-date approaches to governance and compliance.
The broker also suggests dealer groups are starting to increase their fees to try and avoid losses, which should benefit IOOF's market-leading position in advice.
Balance Sheet Concerns
The broker lists over
Credit Suisse downgrades FY21 estimates for earnings per share by -40% to account for the equity raising and highlights the mismatch between the timing of the current raising and the closure of the deal towards the end of FY21.
The broker expects volatility in the share price as the shares on issue will increase significantly and debate will continue around the merits of the acquisition. The database has two Buy ratings and two Hold for IOOF. The consensus target is
On the other side of the ledger, brokers consider the deal an incremental positive for NAB, as it strengthens the bank's capital position and improves returns. CLSA described the transaction as a "clean exit" for the bank, which is expected to deliver around 30 basis points in capital benefit and place its CET1 ratio at the upper end of peers.
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