Guinness Nigeria’s share price gained about 8.41 per cent, closing at N54.80 on June 11, 2024, from an opening of N50.55.
The gain is coming on the heels of an announced takeover of Guinness Nigeria by Tolaram.
Earlier today, it was announced that Tolaram will acquire Diageo’s 58.02% stake in Guinness Nigeria and establish long-term licensing and royalty agreements for the ongoing production of the Guinness brand.
Diageo’s locally manufactured ready-to-drink and mainstream spirits brands will also be licensed to the company.
An observation of the trading window displays immense buying pressure by investors on Guinness Nigeria stocks. During trading, there was a turnover volume of 178,098 with a turnover value of N9.8 million.
This year, Guinness Nigeria like other breweries listed on the NGX has endured massive declines. For example, Guinness Nigeria has posted a year-to-date decline of 23.4%, with its share price starting the year at N66.
Other listed breweries, International Breweries have posted a year-to-date decline of 16.7 per cent, Nigerian Breweries, a 22.2 per cent YTD decline, and Champion Breweries, a year-to-date decline of 32.5 per cent.
The bearish performance of these stocks this year is linked to the massive losses posted by these companies. For example, Guinness Nigeria posted a pre-tax loss of N60.5 billion for the nine months ending March 31, 2024.
International Breweries posted a pre-tax loss of N97.3 billion in FY 2023, and for Nigerian Breweries, the group posted a pre-tax loss of N144.7 billion in FY 2023.
The massive losses posted by these companies are linked to the immense depreciation of the Naira in 2023, with rising operational costs linked to record inflation figures.
For shareholders, the significant losses reported by these companies, leading to accumulated retained losses, suggest that dividends may not be paid in the coming years.
For most of the breweries, capital-raising efforts have been put in place, as their losses have eaten into their capital reserves.
International Breweries is also raising capital, as the group is at the concluding phase of its N588 billion rights issue. International Breweries issued 161.172 billion shares, with the rights issue expected to end on June 10.
The situation for Guinness Nigeria stands apart. While parent companies of other breweries, such as AB InBev for International Breweries Plc and Heineken NV for Nigerian Breweries Plc, are demonstrating confidence in their subsidiaries through debt-to-equity conversions and capital infusions via rights issues, Diageo International is choosing to exit Guinness Nigeria.
Additionally, the company is expected to leverage the broader Tolaram ecosystem to benefit from economies of scale.
