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HgCapital Trust Share Price Edged Higher on Sale of Argus Media

Simon Mugo trader
Updated 22 Jan 2024

The HgCapital Trust plc (LON: HGT) share price edged higher after announcing the complete divestment of its stake in Argus Media, a prominent independent provider of intelligence for the global energy and commodity markets. The deal, subject to standard antitrust and merger control approvals, is expected to be finalised within the next month. 

HG Capital Trust logo

YOUR CAPITAL IS AT RISK. 76% OF RETAIL CFD ACCOUNTS LOSE MONEY.


This transaction places the value of HGT's investment in Argus Media at around £52 million, signifying an increase of £4 million (or 0.8 pence per share) from the pro-forma carrying value of £48 million recorded in HGT's Net Asset Value (NAV) as of 30 September 2023. 

It's important to note that the above figure pertains solely to HgCapital Trust's portion of Hg's overall investment in Argus Media. As of 30 September 2023, the projected pro-forma NAV for the Trust is estimated at £2.3 billion (or 499 pence per share). 

Including the undrawn bank facility of £350 million, HGT's liquid resources, factoring in all announced transactions and the interim dividend paid in October, are expected to be around £753 million, equivalent to 33% of the pro-forma NAV as of 30 September 2023.

In a strategic move to facilitate its next growth phase, Argus Media Group (“Argus”) has entered into an agreement that will see General Atlantic, a leading global growth investor and current minority shareholder in Argus, and Argus itself acquiring shares from Hg, another minority shareholder.

Post-transaction, Adrian Binks, who has been at the helm of Argus since 1984, will become the majority owner, a plan envisioned when General Atlantic invested in 2016. General Atlantic will hold a substantial minority stake, with Argus management retaining their shares. Hg will completely exit its shareholding in Argus.

Founded in 1970 and based in London, Argus caters to over 11,000 clients in more than 160 countries. The company offers price assessments, news, analytics, consulting, data science tools, and industry conferences. 

The firm’s assessments are globally recognised benchmarks for pricing various commodities. Argus has consistently achieved annual revenue growth over the past 40 years.

HgCapital Trust (HGT) share price. 

The HgCapital Trust share price edged higher on the sale of Argus Media as investors remained undecided.

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YOUR CAPITAL IS AT RISK. 76% OF RETAIL CFD ACCOUNTS LOSE MONEY


YOUR CAPITAL IS AT RISK. 76% OF RETAIL CFD ACCOUNTS LOSE MONEY.


Simon has over six years of professional trading experience across FX, commodities and equities. He has a strong passion for financial markets and is particularly focused on price action trading