Volkswagen Aims For €75-B In Planned Porsche IPO

Volkswagen is targeting a valuation of up to 75 billion euros ($75.1 billion) for luxury sportscar maker Porsche, it said on Sunday, in what will be Germany's second-largest initial public offering (IPO) in history.

Photo Insert: Volkswagen will price preferred shares in the flotation of Porsche AG at 76.50 euros to 82.50 euros per share, translating into a valuation of 70 billion to 75 billion euros.

Volkswagen will price preferred shares in the flotation of Porsche AG at 76.50 euros to 82.50 euros per share, translating into a valuation of 70 billion to 75 billion euros, Jan Schwartz and Victoria Waldersee reported for Reuters.

At the upper end of the range, it would become Europe's third largest IPO on record, according to Refinitiv data. Trading will begin on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on Sept. 29, Volkswagen said.

As part of the listing, 911 million Porsche AG shares will be divided into 455.5 million preferred shares and 455.5 million ordinary shares. Up to 113,875,000 preferred shares, carrying no voting rights, will be placed with investors over the course of the IPO.

The sovereign wealth funds of Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Norway as well as mutual fund company T. Rowe Price will subscribe up to 3.68 billion euros worth of preferred shares as cornerstone investors, at the upper end of the valuation, Volkswagen said.

"We are now in the home stretch with the IPO plans for Porsche and welcome the commitment of our cornerstone investors," Volkswagen Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer Arno Antlitz said.

In line with Volkswagen's agreement earlier in September with its largest shareholder Porsche SE, 25% plus one ordinary share in the sportscar brand, which do carry voting rights, will go to Porsche SE at the price of the preferred shares plus a 7.5% premium.

Porsche SE, the holding firm controlled by the Porsche and Piech families, will finance the acquisition of the ordinary shares with debt capital of up to 7.9 billion euros, it said in a separate statement.

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