At Continental and Schaeffler’s joint ‘Premium Supplier Day’ in November the two companies named 12 new companies as premium suppliers, and renewed the status of their 19 existing premium suppliers. At the ceremony, Günter Fella, Continental Automotive’s senior vice-president of purchasing, described the cooperation with its premium suppliers as the “basis for a successful industrialisation” of new technologies.
Aftermarket parts supplier Dayco has appointed Chris Showan as the company’s technical manager. Showan brings with him more than 25 years of aftermarket knowledge and experience from time at businesses such as Supra Automotive/Moprod, Quinton Hazell and latterly, Schaeffler Automotive.
Schaeffler Holding and Schaeffler AG have announced that the companies have placed roughly 4 per cent of Continental shares with a range of investors. According to a statement issued by Schaeffler group, net proceeds will be used to pay down debt as well as additional reduction of debt from excess cash flow. However, the company re-affirmed that Continental AG remains a long-term strategic shareholding.
On 17 July, Schaeffler Holding signed a new €3.875 billion credit agreement that it is said to offer improved terms. As part of the transaction, Schaeffler Holding intends to issue high yield bonds in euro and US dollar tranches, with an issue size equivalent to approximately €1.5 billion. This will go towards repaying the company’s debt. Schaeffler says these measures will further reduce borrowing costs and significantly improve capital structure at the holding level.
On 13 May, the Schaeffler Group gave notice of its intention to terminate the mutual investment agreement it has held with Continental AG since 2008. The agreement will terminate in May 2014.
According to a report from DB Equity Research Automotive, Continental’s majority shareholder has sold 21 million Conti shares at a market price of 81.50 euros each and is using the proceeds to cut its debt by 1.6 billion euros, bringing its debt down to 10.6 billion euros.
After years of relative quiet regarding speculation about ownership of Continental AG, a relatively weak first quarter at the company’s majority shareholder (Schaeffler) has kick started the rumour mill. The thinking is that the shareholder will off-load some of its share to free up cash flow and support the valuation of Conti as it re-enters the Frankfurt-based DAX German stock exchange.
Some financial analysts are recommending Continental shares ahead of a possible further sale of some of the stake directly owned by current 49.9 per cent shareholders Schaeffler Group. “Even if Schaeffler were to do another private placement of Conti shares, we think it might not be enough to satisfy investor appetite. We regard Conti as a structural, earnings and free cash flow driven overweight offering an attractive entry point,” Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in an investor’s note published 22 March.
Financial analysts have expressed a vote of confidence in Continental AG’s present and future financial performance by increasing the price their expect the company’s shares to achieve in the medium term. Recommending a new, higher price target to its investors, Morgan Stanley analysts raised their price target for Continental stock to 90 euros per share, up some 15 euros from the previous target of 75 euros.
Continental AG has announced that the company plans to pay a dividend of 1.5 euros per share for the 2011 fiscal year, almost tripling analyst estimates of 0.55 euros. Based on the approximately 200 million shares outstanding, the proposed amount to be distributed totals roughly 300 million euros. This equates to a payout ratio of about 24 per cent, according to an official statement on the subject.
Schaeffler AG, which currently controls what is effectively a 60 per cent stake in Conti, has announced plans for new credit worth around 8 billion euros. In addition to this refinancing, the company announced plans to issue 2 billion euros of bonds.
According to financial analysts at Morgan Stanley, this all comes around the same time as ratings agencies Stand & Poor’s and Moody's are planning to publish official credit ratings. And all follows Schaeffler’s decision to change its legal form into AG back in September 2011 in order to gain better access to capital markets.
Schaeffler AG, major shareholder in tyre maker Continental, reports it has “remained on its course of success” during the third quarter of 2011. Based on business development during the first nine months of the year, the company says it is confident of meeting its full-year targets – Schaeffler expects to increase sales by more than ten per cent and its EBIT margin by more than 13 per cent in 2011.
As a step towards achieving capital market viability, major Continental shareholder Schaeffler is to be transformed into a public company. The decision for the privately-owned Schaeffler GmbH to become Schaeffler AG (Aktiengesellschaft) – an entity similar to a British public limited company – was announced by Supervisory Board chairman F.W. Schaeffler on September 26. The stock corporation is expected to be entered into the commercial register in October and Schaeffler Group operations will henceforth be managed by an Executive Board.
Just over two weeks after reports surfaced that the UK government was targeting automotive suppliers for British manufacturing investment, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced plans to build a new £350 million engine plant in Wolverhampton. According to reports, the new factory will create around 750 skilled jobs to serve demand from Asia.
Responding to Schaeffler Group’s recently published second quarter results, including a margin of 15.3 per cent for the quarter, financial analysts have praised the “very respectable results”. However, writing in an investor’s not dated 2 September, Morgan Stanley also noted risked associated with the company’s outlook and pointed out that margins were down 150 basis points year-on-year and 220 basis points quarter-on-quarter due to “higher raw material costs and ongoing expansion costs.”
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