Firm acts on $260m capital raising

One firm has acted for a major REIT in a $260m fully underwritten institutional placement and entitlement offer.

Baker & McKenzie has acted for joint lead managers and underwriters J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley on the $260m fully underwritten institutional placement and entitlement offer by National Storage REIT.

Lead partner on the deal Lauren Magraith said last week’s Brexit decision complicated the capital raising at the last minute.

“The timing of the transaction ended up being the key issue in the closing days of preparations - with the impact of the Brexit decision causing significant market volatility and uncertainty in Australia and in markets throughout Europe and the US, this was a difficult time to launch a capital raising,” Magraith told Australasian Lawyer.

“However, given NSR is a defensive and stable industrial REIT with no exposure to the UK, and it was completing an accretive acquisition of well-known assets, both NSR and the underwriters were confident the transaction would be well received by investors.”

One of the largest self-storage providers, National Storage REIT provides self-storage units to over 35,000 residential and commercial customers across Australia and New Zealand.

The $260m raised in capital will be used to acquire the portfolio of Southern Cross Storage assets from Heitman LLC, which is currently managed by National Storage REIT.  The funds represent over 40% of the company’s market capitalisation, Magraith said.

“Our clients are still preparing for IPOs and secondary raisings in the second half [of 2016], and once we move through the August reporting season we expect to see activity levels pick up substantially,” she said of Australia’s sudden market volatility following the Brexit.

“The implications of Brexit will obviously affect capital markets for a period, whilst people digest the potential impact of the decision - however as demonstrated by the NSR raising, investors will still support high quality transactions even in times of uncertainty and volatility.”

Baker & McKenzie has acted for J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley for a number of years, having advised on National Storage REIT's initial public offering in 2013 and each of its subsequent capital raisings since.

Recent articles & video

Allens assists Seraya Partners with landmark acquisition of ASX lister

Law Council of Australia, ACT Bar call out underfunding in legal aid sector

NSW Law Soc, LexisNexis team up on AI Glossary

Report recommends US federal courts award monetary damages for workplace misconduct

Report highlights racial challenges faced by South Asian partners in the UK

Michael Best & Friedrich enters California market by absorbing Los Angeles law firm

Most Read Articles

Revealing the top influencers in Australia’s legal profession for 2024

HSF helps consortium wth Ulinda Park BESS project financing

Federal Court fines employer for failing to issue payslips

Lander & Rogers brings in digital economy practice head