Daily Brief Australia: Rio Tinto Ltd, Silk Logistics and more

In today’s briefing:

Rio Tinto (RIO AU/LN): Shareholders To Vote On Merits Of Unification

Palliser Capital, which reportedly holds ~$300mn in Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO AU/LN) shares across its dual-head structure, has campaigned for near-on a year to unify the primary listing in Australia.
Palliser’s reasonings (and others) to unify make sense, such as access to stock-based mergers and eliminating franking wastage. A recent independent assessment from Grant Thornton is also supportive of unification.
Shareholders will vote on the resolution on 3rd April for UK-listed shares and 1st May for Australian-listed shares. The UK line holds the key to the vote outcome.

At the upcoming AGM, Rio Tinto Ltd and Rio Tinto PLC shareholders will vote on the company commencing a review on the benefits vs costs of Unification.
Palliser Capital has been pushing for Unification while the Rio Tinto Board has recommended that shareholders vote against Resolution 21/24 citing tax costs among other reasons.
If the Unification completes, S&P/ASX trackers will need to buy Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO AU) while UKX Index (UKX INDEX) trackers will sell Rio Tinto PLC (RIO LN). Net positive.

Back on the 11th November 2024, Silk Logistics (SLH AU) entered into an Offer by way of a Scheme with Dubai-based DP World, Australia’s biggest ports operator.
DP World offered A$2.14/share (less any dividends), a 45.6% premium to last close. The Offer has the backing of Silk’s board, and co-founders (holding ~46% of the shares out).
This looked all stitched up. Potentially a delay for ACCC/FIRB, but it felt like one that should get approved. But the ACCC has now detailed a comprehensive list of concerns.

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