China Vanke fighting off takeover attempt from Baoneng Group

Chinese giant to issue new shares to keep largest shareholder at bay

China Vanke, the world's largest property developer, is fending off a takeover attempt from its biggest shareholder, Baoneng Group.
China Vanke, the world's largest property developer, is fending off a takeover attempt from its biggest shareholder, Baoneng Group.

China Vanke sure is receiving some unwanted attention these days. The world’s largest property developer — with stakes in New York properties like the Bush Tower and Aby Rosen’s 100 East 53rd Street — is fighting a takeover attempt from Baoneng Group, a privately-owned Chinese property-to-finance behemoth. Baoneng is China Vanke’s largest shareholder at 22 percent.

Vanke will issue more shares in an asset restructuring in an attempt to reduce Baoneng’s power, the Wall Street Journal reports.

So who would gobble up newly-issued shares? State-owned China Resources Group, with a 15 percent stake in Vanke, could potentially step up, according to the Journal.

However, with Vanke’s stock having soared 68 percent in the past month, any new investor would likely receive a discounted rate. And a discount would certainly upset existing shareholders like Waldorf Astoria Hotel owners Anbang Insurance Group, which recently bought a 5 percent stake. Along with Baoneng, Anbang could try to block Vanke’s share issuance, according to the Journal.

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The restructuring could also mean that Vanke purchases assets, the Journal reported.

Vanke has a controlling stake in the 30-story office building known as the Bush Tower and also bought into Aby Rosen’s condo project at 100 East 53rd Street.

In November, Vanke paired with Adam America and Slate Property Group for a development site at 10 Nevins Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The trio have planned a 33-story condo tower. [WSJ]James Kleimann