Public shareholders will have 11.76% of voting rights in the insurer

 

[SINGAPORE] Great Eastern Holdings (GEH) is set to resume trading on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) on Aug 21, as a proposed bonus share issue will lift its free float to above 10 per cent.

 

Public shareholders will hold 11.76 per cent of voting rights in GEH after the bonus issue, according to the results of the shares election released on Thursday (Aug 14).

 

Some 5,423 Class C non-voting shares were also issued to public shareholders.

 

In total, 29.7 million ordinary shares and 443.6 million Class C shares were issued.

 

Meanwhile, OCBC elected to receive Class C non-voting shares, bringing its holdings of voting shares in GEH to 88.19 per cent.

 

GEH was suspended from trading in July 2024 after its free float fell below 10 per cent, following a failed takeover bid by parent company OCBC.

 

In a bid to restore its free float requirement to resume trading, GEH proposed a one-for-one bonus issue resolution comprising new ordinary shares and newly created Class C non-voting shares, from which shareholders could choose.

 

This was passed after a vote for a delisting resolution &ndash comprising a conditional exit offer from OCBC &ndash fell through at the insurer&rsquo s extraordinary general meeting in July.

 

OCBC previously announced its intent to choose the non-voting shares. 

 

The move allows the insurer to satisfy the minimum free float requirement, while letting OCBC keep its 93.72 per cent stake in GEH&rsquo s economic interests, since the non-voting shares rank equally with the ordinary shares.

 

The directors of GEH earlier recommended that shareholders, apart from the offeror, do not elect to receive the Class C shares.

 

In July, GEH chief financial officer Ronnie Tan said that it would not be sensible for shareholders other than OCBC to opt for Class C shares, as doing so would mean relinquishing significant rights due to several disadvantages.

 

SINGAPORE - Insurer Great Eastern on July 28 posted an 11 per cent decline in second quarter net profit to $248.2 million, from $280.4 million in the previous corresponding period.

 

The group attributed the decline to lower profit from its insurance business for the quarter.

 

For the six months ended June, net profit inched up 1 per cent to $593.7 million from $587.1 million in the year-ago period.

 

First-half earnings per share rose to $1.25 from $1.24 previously.

 

Total weighted new sales for the second quarter fell 19 per cent to $363.5 million, from $448.3 million a year ago. New business embedded value rose 14 per cent to $167.7 million from $146.5 million.

 

On a half-yearly basis, total weighted new sales slid 27 per cent to $708.6 million, from $972.5 million.

 

First-half new business embedded value climbed 16 per cent to $316.5 million from $272 million.

 

As resolutions to facilitate resumption of trading in Great Eastern&rsquo s shares were passed at its extraordinary general meeting on July 8, the company said it will execute a bonus issue of up to 473.3 million bonus ordinary shares and/or Class C non-voting shares on or around Aug 19.

 

The bonus shares are expected to be allotted and issued before the record date of the interim dividend on Aug 28.

 

Thus, the interim one-tier tax-exempt dividend of 25 cents per share for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2025, will apply to all shares on a post-bonus issue basis.

 

This includes the bonus ordinary shares and Class C non-voting shares.

 

This is equivalent to an interim one-tier tax exempt dividend of 50 cents per ordinary share on a pre-bonus issue basis, the insurer said.

 

The financial year 2025 interim dividend will be paid on Sept 5.

 

Shares of Great Eastern have been suspended since July 2024