Virgin Money Share Price Soared 37.6% on a £2.9Bn Takeover Offer

Virgin Money UK PLC (LON: VMUK) ‘s share price soared 37.6% after it was announced that it had agreed to be acquired by Nationwide Building Society for a cash consideration of 220p per share. The agreed-upon price values the company at approximately £2.9 billion.

The sum Virgin Money shareholders receive for each share they own includes 218p as the cash offer and a 2p per share dividend payout for the 2024 fiscal year. The dividend will be paid out once approved by the Virgin Money board or before the conclusion of the acquisition. 

Both Nationwide's and Virgin Money's Boards believe that merging the two entities would unite complementary operations, creating the UK's second-largest mortgage and savings provider with total assets of around £366.3 billion and lending and advances of nearly £283.5 billion.

Nationwide, the UK's largest building society aims to expedite its growth strategy through this acquisition, enhancing its product and service range more quickly than could be achieved independently. This strategy is expected to enhance Nationwide's financial robustness and offer increased value to its clients and members, particularly by:

Expanding customer base, lending, and deposits: Virgin Money is the sixth-largest retail bank in the UK by assets and boasts a customer base of 6.6 million. The acquisition aims to augment Nationwide's footprint in its key markets of mortgages, savings, and checking accounts.

Enhancing credit card offerings: Virgin Money's significant presence in the unsecured lending market, especially with a notable share in the UK's credit card sector, complements Nationwide's existing services.

Diversifying into business banking: Nationwide aims to build upon its business savings solutions with Virgin Money's business lending portfolio and ‘Business Current Account,' diversifying funding sources and supporting growth. The merger will bolster financial strength through diversified funding and improved returns.

Kevin Parry, Chairman of Nationwide Building Society, commented: “A combination with Virgin Money would accelerate Nationwide's strategy and create a stronger, more diverse, modern mutual. The combination would increase Nationwide's scale and financial strength, put us in a stronger position to continue to provide Fairer Share Payments to eligible Nationwide members, and offer rates for mortgages and savings that are, on average, better than the market average.”

Virgin Money share price. 

The Virgin Money (VMUK) share price soared 37.56% to trade at 218.65p from Wednesday’s closing price of 158.95p.