tmmonline.nz  |   landlords.co.nz        About Good Returns  |  Advertise  |  Contact Us  |  Terms & Conditions  |  RSS Feeds

NZ's Financial Adviser News Centre

GR Logo
Last Article Uploaded: Friday, November 1st, 10:39AM

Investments

rss
The Markets

a2 shares jump as Aussie media reheats Nestle rumours

A report in the Australian media ramping up speculation about a takeover of the a2 Milk company by Swiss-based global food giant Nestle saw the dual-listed dairy company’s share price jump in NZX trading today.

Monday, August 16th 2021, 5:41PM

by BusinessDesk

However, local analysts are sceptical about the suggestion, which appears to rest primarily on the fact that the a2 share price has collapsed over the last year.

Today’s report in The Australian echoed a similar report in April, which also cited possible interest from Nestle and Mead Johnson as buyers.

As the story gained traction, the a2 share price rose as high as $7.16 in the course of the day, having closed last Friday at $6.33 and high a low point for the year of $5.56 on May 18. A2 shares were trading at $7.06 just after 4pm.

The Australian speculation also suggested that no move would come before a2 released its full-year profit results next week.

However, Adrian Allbon, an equity research director at New Zealand’s largest broking house, Jarden, suggested Nestle was having trouble of its own in the Chinese infant formula market, where a2 had been a strong performer until a government crackdown put paid to the lucrative ‘daigou’ market channel.

Daigou was a form of export trade where individuals or syndicates outside China purchased goods for sale to Chinese consumers.

However, a combination of the global pandemic stifling cross-border travel by daigou shoppers and a change of heart in Beijing towards encouraging local competition has been instrumental in the collapse of the a2 share price from a high on Aug 18 a year ago of $21.50 to a low point of $5.56 in May.

“Nestle has its own a2 SKUs (products) and highlight China infant formula was a problem area in its recent first-half result,” said Jarden equities research director Adrian Allborn.

The a2 milk variety – said to be better for human health than the more common a1 milk – was an “interesting niche” that had attracted various global players into the segment, including Nestle.

“From the recent Nestle result, it felt their M&A (merger and acquisition) focus was more on vitamins, minerals and supplements,” Allborn said in an email to BusinessDesk. “Not sure whether a2 attributes fit this brief or not.”

A transcript of Nestle executives discussing the half-year results reported a fall in infant nutrition sales in China, with the market “impacted by challenging dynamics” and a need for “turnaround initiatives”.

Longer-term factors playing against a2 include a falling Chinese birth rate, growing geopolitical tensions between China and western trading partners, and underperformance by the English language labelled product in markets other than China, according to a recent research note by Forsyth Barr.

The Chinese trend towards buying local brands was also hurting a2, which holds a 25% shareholding in Synlait Milk and concluded the purchase of a 75% stake in Mataura Milk last month.

Despite owning these elements of the supply chain, the company has also come to be recognised as primarily a marketing and branding vehicle with a business model less dependent on owning the milk supply chain than traditional dairy companies.

Tags: Market Close

« NZ shares up as investors ignore uncertaintyShort sellers send A2 shares up »

Special Offers

Comments from our readers

No comments yet

Sign In to add your comment

 

print

Printable version  

print

Email to a friend
News Bites
Latest Comments
Subscribe Now

AM Update - Your morning business news update

Previous News
Most Commented On
Mortgage Rates Table

Full Rates Table | Compare Rates

Lender Flt 1yr 2yr 3yr
AIA - Back My Build 5.44 - - -
AIA - Go Home Loans 7.99 5.99 5.69 5.69
ANZ 7.89 6.59 6.29 6.29
ANZ Blueprint to Build 7.39 - - -
ANZ Good Energy - - - 1.00
ANZ Special - 5.99 5.69 5.69
ASB Bank 7.89 5.99 5.69 5.69
ASB Better Homes Top Up - - - 1.00
Avanti Finance 8.40 - - -
Basecorp Finance 9.60 - - -
BNZ - Classic - 5.99 5.69 5.69
Lender Flt 1yr 2yr 3yr
BNZ - Mortgage One 7.94 - - -
BNZ - Rapid Repay 7.94 - - -
BNZ - Std 7.94 5.99 5.69 5.69
BNZ - TotalMoney 7.94 - - -
CFML 321 Loans 6.20 - - -
CFML Home Loans 6.45 - - -
CFML Prime Loans 8.25 - - -
CFML Standard Loans 9.20 - - -
China Construction Bank - 7.09 6.75 6.49
China Construction Bank Special - - - -
Co-operative Bank - First Home Special - 5.79 - -
Lender Flt 1yr 2yr 3yr
Co-operative Bank - Owner Occ 7.65 5.99 5.75 5.69
Co-operative Bank - Standard 7.65 6.49 6.25 6.19
Credit Union Auckland 7.70 - - -
First Credit Union Special - 6.40 6.10 -
First Credit Union Standard 8.50 7.00 6.70 -
Heartland Bank - Online 7.49 ▼5.65 ▼5.55 ▼5.55
Heartland Bank - Reverse Mortgage - - - -
Heretaunga Building Society 8.90 7.00 6.50 -
ICBC 7.49 5.99 5.65 5.59
Kainga Ora 8.39 7.05 6.59 6.49
Kainga Ora - First Home Buyer Special - - - -
Lender Flt 1yr 2yr 3yr
Kiwibank 7.75 6.89 6.59 6.49
Kiwibank - Offset 8.25 - - -
Kiwibank Special 7.75 5.99 5.69 5.69
Liberty 8.59 8.69 8.79 8.94
Nelson Building Society 8.44 ▼6.39 ▼6.09 -
Pepper Money Advantage 10.49 - - -
Pepper Money Easy 8.69 - - -
Pepper Money Essential 8.29 - - -
SBS Bank 7.99 6.95 6.29 6.29
SBS Bank Special - ▼6.15 5.69 5.69
SBS Construction lending for FHB - - - -
Lender Flt 1yr 2yr 3yr
SBS FirstHome Combo 5.44 ▼5.15 - -
SBS FirstHome Combo - - - -
SBS Unwind reverse equity 9.75 - - -
TSB Bank 8.69 6.79 6.49 6.49
TSB Special 7.89 5.99 5.69 5.69
Unity ▼7.64 5.99 5.69 -
Unity First Home Buyer special - 5.49 - -
Wairarapa Building Society 8.50 ▼6.19 ▼5.79 -
Westpac 8.39 6.89 6.39 6.39
Westpac Choices Everyday 8.49 - - -
Westpac Offset 8.39 - - -
Lender Flt 1yr 2yr 3yr
Westpac Special - 6.29 5.79 5.79
Median 7.99 6.17 5.79 5.69

Last updated: 30 October 2024 9:36am

About Us  |  Advertise  |  Contact Us  |  Terms & Conditions  |  Privacy Policy  |  RSS Feeds  |  Letters  |  Archive  |  Toolbox  |  Disclaimer
 
Site by Web Developer and eyelovedesign.com