The BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) share price is trading lower on Thursday despite the miner being given some good news.
At the time of writing, the mining giant's shares are down 0.5% to $46.62.
What was the good news?
This morning, OZ Minerals Limited (ASX: OZL) shareholders were invited to vote on BHP's proposed acquisition of the copper miner at a scheme meeting.
The Big Australian has tabled an offer of $28.25 per share, which values OZ Minerals at $9.8 billion on an enterprise value basis.
The good news for BHP is that the deal took a big step forward today after OZ Minerals shareholders gave the deal the thumbs up.
According to the release, 98.33% of the votes cast by OZ Minerals shareholders were in favour of the scheme.
BHP's CEO, Mike Henry, was pleased with the results of the meeting. He said:
This is a strong endorsement from OZ Minerals shareholders on the value they will receive under the scheme and the hard work of the OZ Minerals team over many years to create a successful business. We look forward to bringing together our talent and resources to create an even stronger organisation.
This sentiment was echoed by OZ Minerals' management team, which commented:
Today's strong endorsement from our shareholders enables the next chapter for OZ Minerals as, pending endorsement of the Court, we will become part of a major global mining company which values our strategy of creating value for stakeholders, enabled by our agile culture of inclusion, innovation and collaboration, as well as our portfolio of modern minerals operating assets and our pipeline of growth opportunities. We thank all our stakeholders for their contribution over the years.
What's next?
The deal is not quite done just yet, but it is almost there. That's because the scheme still requires the approval of the Federal Court of Australia.
OZ Minerals is expected to apply for court orders approving the scheme on 17 April 2023. If approved by the court, the scheme is expected to become effective on 18 April 2023 and be implemented on 2 May 2023.
