Summary
As a long-term active investor, Allianz Global Investors (AllianzGI) devotes significant resources to fundamental research and our portfolio managers invest in companies where they see the potential to realise value on behalf of clients. AllianzGI engages with investee companies in a constructive manner to achieve the best outcomes.
AllianzGI is an established, and the largest, shareholder in UDG Healthcare plc (UDG) with an 8.6 per cent notifiable interest in the shares in the company. AllianzGI’s portfolio managers appreciate the intrinsic value of UDG’s business and its future potential. Having come through the trials of the pandemic with a strong balance sheet, AllianzGI believes UDG can realise the potential of recent acquisitions, consider further inorganic opportunities and improve the efficiency of its capital structure.
The offer made by Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) for UDG on 12 May 2021 implicitly supports AllianzGI’s view of UDG’s potential, but is at a price that does not adequately compensate existing shareholders for the opportunity foregone.
AllianzGI firmly believes that the offer is opportunistic and significantly undervalues UDG and its prospects and is not in the best interests of shareholders. Consequently, based on available information, AllianzGI is minded not to accept the current offer despite it being recommended to shareholders by the Board of UDG.
AllianzGI is open to discussion and would like to use this statement to remind the Board of UDG of its duty to obtain a fair value for shareholders.
Media contact:
Sarah Einig +44 203 246 7846 sarah.einig@allianzgi.com
About Allianz Global Investors:
Allianz Global Investors is a leading active asset manager with over 690 investment professionals in 23 offices worldwide and managing EUR 598 billion in assets for individuals, families and institutions.
Active is: Allianz Global Investors
Data as at 31 March 2021
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In relation to the United Kingdom, this document is being issued only to, and is directed only at, (i) investment professionals specified in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 as amended (the “Order”), (ii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order and (iii) persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000) in connection with the issue or sale of any securities of UDG or any member of its group may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as “Permitted Recipients”). Persons who are not Permitted Recipients must not act or rely on the information contained in this document.
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Risk Factors
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Changes and Updates of Recommendation
Recommendations made by AllianzGI for its products stay unchanged over the time. Updates may be made without prior notice.
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Recommendations may be based on one or more methods of valuations, including observing the market and underlying movements in particular instruments or issuers. This analysis will take into account key criteria such as market liquidity of the financial instrument or issuer at the time of production of this document.
Conflicts of Interest
Recommendations should not necessarily be considered to be either objective or unbiased. AllianzGI may engage in transactions in a manner inconsistent with individual recommendations. The issuer of the funds named in this document, its employees as well as any further entities and its employees, including persons involved in the preparation or issuance of the information contained in this document are members/employees of AllianzGI and its affiliates. Accordingly, information included in this document or information referred to in this document but not explicitly included in it is not independent from the proprietary interests of AllianzGI and its affiliates, which may conflict with your interests.
Management of Conflicts of Interests
AllianzGI has systems and controls for the identification, avoidance, management and disclosure, as appropriate, of conflicts of interests that may arise in the preparation or provision of investment recommendations. The types of conflicts considered could include conflicts between AllianzGI activities, between AllianzGI clients, AllianzGI own interests and the personal interests of AllianzGI officers and employees. AllianzGI policies, procedures and controls in this regard include for example:
- Internal policies, procedures, guidance and regular training on the identification of possible conflicts of interest as and when they arise;
- Escalation procedures for ensuring that identified conflicts of interest are considered at the appropriate level within the institution;
- Maintenance of robust information barriers between different parts of the institution to restrict the flow of inside information so as to avoid inadvertent spread or mis-use;
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- Restrictions on personal account dealing and procedures and controls relating to wall crossing.
Disclosures of potential conflicts of interest relating to AllianzGI, its affiliates, subsidiaries and its relevant employees with respect to the issuers, financial instruments and/or securities forming the subject of this document valid as of the end of the month prior to publication of this document can be viewed onsite at the address listed below.
AllianzGI currently manages a net long position of 8.6% of the total issued share capital of UDG and may continue transacting in UDG’s shares.
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Summary
Allianz Global Investors, one of the world’s leading active asset managers, announced today that it has two new hires joining its Macro Unconstrained Fixed Income team, which manages assets of £7.5bn across 4 strategies. Gaurav Saroliya will join the team on 1 July and Joe Pak in August, both as Portfolio Managers.