A takeover bid has been launched for rare earths developer Australian Strategic Materials Ltd (ASX: ASM) priced well above a 100% premium for the company.
ASM said in a statement to the ASX on Wednesday that Energy Fuels Inc (NYSEMKT: UUUU) had agreed to acquire the company for an implied value of $1.60 per ASM shares.
ASM shares jumped 93.1% to be changing hands for $1.40 on Wednesday after closing Tuesday's session at 72.5 cents.
ASM said in its statement that its board was unanimously basking the deal, which would see ASM shareholders receive 0.053 Energy Fuels shares, at an implied value of $1.47 per share.
An unfranked special dividend of 13 cents would also be paid to ASM shareholders.
ASM's Non-Executive Chair, Ian Gandel, who owns 13.6% of the company, is also supporting the proposed deal.
Image source: Getty Images
Fast track for development
The company's Managing Director Rowena Smith said the tie-up made sense.
This proposed combination delivers a significant premium for ASM shareholders and ensures our shareholders retain the opportunity to participate in the substantial upside of a larger, better capitalised critical minerals business. We are pleased to recommend this transaction not only for the value it delivers but it accelerates the execution of our mine to metals strategy in a way that unlocks greater scale, de-risks delivery and positions us to capture the full potential of our rare-earths opportunity.
ASM's flagship project is its Dubbo project in New South Wales, which it says has a "globally significant resource of light and heavy rare earths across a unique ore body comprising bastnaesite mineralogy and zirconosilicates''.
The company's website says the project has an initial mine life of 20 years "and a further 50 years of resource".
ASM said on Wednesday the tie up with Energy Fuels made strategic sense.
The transaction is expected to materially accelerate ASM's mine to metals strategy by providing ASM shareholders with exposure to a secure, ex-China rare earths supply chain spanning mining, processing, separation, metallisation and alloying, underpinned by Energy Fuels' critical feedstock and processing assets.
Energy Fuels, ASM said, had 45 years' operational experience, "as well as … excellent capability in building, commissioning and operating upstream mining assets''.
Energy Fuels is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange and would establish a listing on the ASX following the deal to allow ASM shareholders to trace their new shares.
The deal will need to be approved by 75% of votes cast at a meeting to be held, with ASM saying it aimed to have the deal implemented by the end of June.
ASM was valued at $194.3 million at the close of trade on Tuesday.
