G4S predator riles investors by claiming they need ‘educating’ about the true state of the security firm
The Canadian predator targeting G4S has riled the British security firm’s shareholders by claiming they need ‘educating’ about the true state of the company.
Garda World has offered 190p a share – nearly £3billion – for G4S but its proposal has been rejected by the board and leading investors.
And in an ill-judged bid to push its case this week, Garda World’s boss Stephan Cretier launched another public attack on G4S and said he would ‘educate’ shareholders on how best to manage the firm.
Garda World has offered 190p a share – nearly £3bn – for G4S but its proposal has been rejected by the board and leading investors
But the comments raised eyebrows among big City institutions that have been long-term investors in G4S and believe Garda World is trying to buy the firm on the cheap.
One City source said: ‘It’s a phrase that has touched a nerve. These are professional people.
‘They know what they own.’
Garda World needs to win over shareholders to secure a deal – with many holding out for a bid of well over 200p a share.
Fund manager Schroders, the biggest shareholder in G4S with a 10.49 per cent stake, has already said it is open to a deal but only at a ‘fair price’.
In what appeared to be a rebuke to Cretier’s ‘educate’ comments, it has now gone further, pointing out that it is a ‘long-standing shareholder’ confident in the company’s prospects.