The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX:XJO) rose by 0.7% to 5,900 points.
Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd (ASX: CWY)
The Cleanaway share price was the worst performer in the ASX 200 today, it dropped 7.1%.
The company has announced its response to reports of misconduct after claims of workplace behaviour involving CEO Vik Bansal. The company did an independent investigation.
Cleanaway has implemented a range of measures after the investigation including executive leadership monitoring, enhanced reporting and monitoring of the CEO's conduct.
Cleanaway said that Mr Bansal has acknowledged that his behaviour should have been better and expressed contrition. The company said he has discussed this openly with the board and with his colleagues and has embraced changes in his approach.
Mark Chellew, Cleanaway Chair, said: "Mr Bansal had some issues with overly-assertive behaviour in the workplace and has acknowledged that he needed to address them. The board is disappointed in the circumstances but has taken appropriate action. We have noted the committed and sincere manner in which Mr Bansal has responded. The board will not tolerate any further instances of unacceptable conduct."
The ASX 200 business also announced the retirement of its CFO, Brendan Gill. Paul Binfield will become the new CFO.
Citadel Group Ltd (ASX: CGL)
The Citadel share price rocketed higher by 40% today after news of a takeover announcement.
Pacific Equity Partners are proposing to buy Citadel for a cash offer of $5.70 per share, reduced by any special dividend. That's a 43.2% premium to the last closing price and a 51.4% premium to the 3-month volume weighted average price.
Citadel's board intends to declare a fully franked special dividend of up to 15 cents per share to enable shareholders to receive up to 6.4 cents per share of franking credits.
The ASX share's board has unanimously recommended that shareholders vote in favour of the scheme assuming an independent expert thinks it's a good idea and unless a better offer comes in.
Citadel Chair Peter Leahy said: "The scheme is an attractive transaction which provides an all-cash option for Citadel shareholders. The Citadel board has unanimously concluded that the scheme represents a compelling outcome for our shareholders, customers, suppliers and staff.
"The price is a very tangible measure of the value and quality of Citadel's industry leading expertise in specialist software and critical secure information management…At a significant premium to the current trading price, PEP's offer provides Citadel shareholders with certainty of value and the opportunity to realise their investment in full for cash."
Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG)
Macquarie announced an update for its FY21 first half profit expectations.
The ASX 200 investment bank business said that COVID-19 is causing significant and unprecedented uncertainty, which makes short-term forecasting extremely difficult.
Macquarie said it's unable to provide meaningful earnings guidance for FY21. However, for the first half of FY21 it's expecting profit to be down by 35% compared to the first half of FY20 and down 25% on the second half of FY20.
The business said it continues to maintain a cautious stance, with a conservative approach to capital, funding and liquidity that positions the business well for the current environment.
Monadelphous Group Ltd (ASX: MND)
The Monadelphous Group share price went up 3% after the company won some contracts from commodity giant BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP).
The ASX 200 engineering business said that the construction and maintenance contracts have a combined value of approximately $120 million.
One of the contracts is to provide structural, mechanical and electrical upgrades at the Newman Hub site in Pilbara. Another contract is for the dewatering of surplus water at the Jimblebar mine site in Western Australia.
