Ritchie Bros. Mails Letter to Shareholders
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers has shared a letter ahead of its Special Meeting scheduled for March 14, 2023, where shareholders will vote on the proposed acquisition of IAA, Inc. The Board emphasizes that the transaction could increase share value by up to $76, significantly exceeding Ritchie Bros.' current stock price of $61.44 as of February 21, 2023. The company argues against Luxor Capital's objections, labeling them as misleading. The amended agreement not only enhances transaction terms by adding $115 million in value but also retains a 59.1% pro forma ownership for shareholders. Ritchie Bros. expects substantial EBITDA growth and cost savings from the IAA acquisition, stimulating further shareholder value.
- Potential increase in share value by up to $76, surpassing current stock price.
- Amended agreement improves terms with $115 million additional value.
- Expected EBITDA growth opportunity between $350 million to $900 million.
- Additional $100 million to $120 million in cost savings by the end of 2025.
- None.
Details Compelling Strategic and Financial Benefits of IAA Acquisition and Significant Value Creation Opportunities
Highlights Positive Market Reaction to IAA Acquisition, Amended Agreement and Starboard Investment
Urges Shareholders Not to Be Misled by Luxor's Factually Inaccurate and Fundamentally Flawed Analysis
Full text of the letter follows:
At the Special Meeting on
The Ritchie Bros. Board of Directors and management team have considered the merits of a Ritchie Bros. + IAA combination as part of our regular strategy meetings since 2020. Last year, we determined it was the right time to pursue the transaction, and we spent more than 12 months thoroughly evaluating it. After careful consideration, we concluded that the IAA acquisition is the most logical, value maximizing next step for the Company – with the potential to add up to
In an attempt to prevent the IAA acquisition from closing, which would deprive you of this upside potential,
We urge you not to be misled and to ask yourself: if Luxor believes Ritchie Bros. is worth more on a standalone basis, then why did Luxor sell its shares last year at a price that is nearly half of what it asserts is Ritchie Bros.' true value? We question whether Luxor's opaque "Trade Advisory Agreement" with
The Ritchie Bros. Board of Directors unanimously recommends that Ritchie Bros. shareholders vote "FOR" on the WHITE proxy card for each of the proposals that are being considered at the Special Meeting. We urge you to disregard any proxy card sent to you by or on behalf of any person other than Ritchie Bros., including the green proxy card and solicitation materials that may be sent to you by or on behalf of Luxor. We urge you not to return any proxy card except the WHITE proxy card, even if you are attempting to do so as a protest vote, as only your latest dated proxy card will be counted.
RITCHIE BROS. HAS ATTRACTIVE STANDALONE PROSPECTS.
WITH IAA, WE CAN CREATE EVEN MORE SHAREHOLDER VALUE – AND DO IT FASTER
Over the past several years, new leadership has transformed Ritchie Bros. into a trusted global marketplace for value-added insights, services and transaction solutions. As our performance and
The strategic merits of a Ritchie Bros. + IAA combination are strong.
IAA expands our reach into an attractive, adjacent vertical with a growing, countercyclical business. We understand this business well. The salvage auction process closely resembles Ritchie Bros.' used equipment auction process across the entire consign-inspect-sell continuum. In addition, members of Ritchie Bros.' management team have experience in the automotive industry and understand what insurance carriers value most. By leveraging this experience, applying our operating expertise and plugging IAA into our global marketplace, we expect to unlock IAA's potential and drive significant growth and value for the combined company's shareholders.
The financial benefits of the Ritchie Bros. + IAA combination are compelling.
The IAA transaction is expected to more than double our gross transaction value (GTV)iv to approximately
While the transaction is accretive to our shareholders with the anticipated cost savings alone, the EBITDA growth opportunities summarized below show the power of the Ritchie Bros. + IAA combination.
Opportunity | Estimated EBITDA Upside Potentialvii | ||||||||||||||||||
Announced Cost Synergies | |||||||||||||||||||
Grow Domestic IAA Sales | |||||||||||||||||||
Grow International IAA Sales | |||||||||||||||||||
Grow RBA GTV | |||||||||||||||||||
Financing | |||||||||||||||||||
Parts and Services | |||||||||||||||||||
Incremental Salvage Markets | |||||||||||||||||||
Total Estimated Potential EBITDA Opportunity |
Diving a bit deeper into several of these exciting opportunities:
- IAA's yards will catapult Ritchie Bros.' standalone yard expansion – more quickly and more profitably. IAA's 210 yards are located near population centers. They are only
55% utilized, and75% of their yards have more than five acres of availability. Leveraging IAA's yards virtually eliminates the start-up time associated with standing up new yards and minimizes incremental costs because they are already staffed. Because the incremental costs are so low, and each of the existing IAA yards are already profitable, the financial hurdles associated with executing on our satellite yard strategy are minimal if we acquire IAA. Every Ritchie Bros. unit that comes to an IAA location results in incremental margin and should be significantly accretive. - Similar to what IAA does to advance Ritchie Bros.' yard strategy in the
U.S. , we do for IAA internationally. Ritchie Bros. has established infrastructure, relationships and regulatory expertise acrossEurope ,Mexico andAustralia . By leveraging our existing international footprint and capabilities, we expect to reduce IAA's time required to operate in these international markets so that IAA can capitalize on those market's compelling growth opportunities even faster. - Ritchie Bros.' marketplace enables more touch points for IAA customers, fortifying customer relationships and growing GTV through financing and other attached services offerings. For example, we see up to
of EBITDA opportunity potential from deploying$100 million Ritchie Bros. Financial Services ' sales force to IAA rebuilder customers. It is important to emphasize that we purposely built this marketplace to support a wide variety of asset classes, including transportation, which is our largest vertical. Our record shows that we excel in integrating new verticals and users, and we expect the addition of IAA to be seamless as well.
The growth opportunities have been validated by the rigorous due diligence leading up to our announcement with input from our experienced management team and leading industry experts and advisors. Taken together, the cost savings and growth opportunities yield an approximate
THE ANALYSIS UNDERPINNING THE IAA DEAL VALUATION UNDERSCORES RITCHIE BROS.' COMMITMENT TO SERVING OUR SHAREHOLDERS' BEST INTERESTS
In connection with the IAA negotiations, Ritchie Bros. simultaneously prepared the base case and upside financial forecasts for Ritchie Bros. on a standalone basis set forth in our joint proxy statement / prospectusviii. Luxor has distorted the purpose behind these financial forecasts, the timing of when they were produced and how they were actually applied and used to evaluate the merits of the IAA transaction.
- The base case reflects the Board-approved business plan. For example, Ritchie Bros.' budget for 2023 is consistent with the base case estimates and, prior to the closing of the transaction, it is being used as the primary benchmark against which we measure performance, evaluate success and incentivize and compensate our leadership. As the Board-approved business plan, it was the foundation of the fairness opinions that were prepared by our financial advisors and also used in connection with obtaining the financing for the IAA acquisitionix. Notably, this case was also in line with sell-side analyst consensus estimatesx for 2022 and 2023 at the time.
- As shareholders would expect in any responsible M&A process, Ritchie Bros. management also reviewed with the Board sensitivities to the base case plan. The upside forecasts assumed we outperformed the base and included more aspirational targets. The upside forecasts were provided to IAA as part of the negotiation process.
It is worth noting that our evergreen financial modelxi, originally introduced in 2015 and more recently presented at our 2020 investor day, was never intended to be a forecast or guidance of future operating results, and we explicitly stated such at that time. Instead, we introduced the model to provide transparency to investors as to the aspirational KPI targets that we are pursuing over the long term. By comparing Ritchie Bros.' aspirational evergreen model to consensus estimates for peers, Luxor paints a misleading picture of Ritchie Bros.' actual performance and opportunities.
The fact is: The potential EBITDA upside opportunities from the IAA acquisition create substantial value for Ritchie Bros. shareholders. And while we are proud of our outperformance in the 2022 fourth quarter, it is irresponsible to rely on one quarter of outperformance to redefine an entire multi-year plan.
THE AMENDED IAA AGREEMENT AND
The IAA amended agreement considered shareholder feedback and delivers improved terms and key benefits for Ritchie Bros. and our shareholders:
of additional value to Ritchie Bros. shareholders compared to the original transaction agreement, through:$115 million of additional value to Ritchie Bros. shareholders due to IAA price reductionxii$70 million of additional value since the special cash dividend would be paid only to shareholders who own Ritchie Bros. stock prior to transaction's closexiii$45 million - Greater accretion since the equity component of the consideration has decreased
- Preserving significant pro forma ownership for Ritchie Bros. shareholders, ensuring that they benefit from the strategic and financial upside of the IAA acquisition
Key benefits from the
- Additional financial flexibility and ability to fund the increased cash consideration being paid to IAA shareholders without incurring additional debt
- Expanding the Board with an additional value-focused independent director who has substantial knowledge of the auto salvage industry and IAA as a company, M&A transactions and integration, strategic planning and operations
Luxor's suggestion that we are effectively selling the Company by issuing
THE MARKET'S REACTION TO THE AMENDED TERMS HAS BEEN POSITIVE
As we have engaged with our shareholders on the IAA acquisition, amended agreement and
"Post the transaction update provided by Ritchie, we feel better about what we believe was already a unique and attractive situation for investors" –
"RBA shareholders get a slightly higher ownership and a special dividend while IAA shareholders will receive a larger cash payment and maintain the upside potential. Additionally, the amended offer now includes a special dividend and remains accretive to EPS after the first full year. Clearly, the announcement and conference call strengthen RBA's case for acquiring IAA. Additionally, the deal's chances of closing have moved up above
"Having examined the deal more closely, we have made a complete U-turn; to us, the deal offers strategic opportunities for RBA/IAA that are unique to this combination… We dug in. And, we dig it." – Scotiabank (
LUXOR HAS DEMONSTRATED PROFOUND MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE ACTUAL TERMS AND STRUCTURE OF THE STARBOARD INVESTMENT
The
- Is perpetual in nature. It does not have to be repaid on a fixed maturity date. As it has no maturity, the
Starboard preferred is worth significantly less than a convertible bond (which would typically have a fixed maturity), holding all other terms / assumptions the same - Preserves Ritchie Bros.' capital structure flexibility by providing the Company a forced conversion right (as early as
February 2026 ) in addition to redemption rights - Has a favorable initial conversion price that is meaningfully above the Company's undisturbed trading price and above the 52-week high
- Is structurally subordinate given perpetual preferred equity is junior to all forms of Ritchie Bros. debt and other creditor claims (such as payables, leases, etc.)
- Has trading restrictions that prevent
Starboard from hedging and other transfer restrictions - Includes important governance provisions, including, among others, that
Starboard is not permitted to vote on the IAA acquisition
The fact is: The
LUXOR'S CLAIMS ARE FACTUALLY INCORRECT AND BASED ON FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED ANALYSIS
Among others, Luxor's misleading claims reflect:
- Mathematical errors that conflict with basic corporate finance principles, such as adding debt to enterprise value when deriving a "stand alone" equity value for Ritchie Bros.
- Unrealistic assumptions for reinvestment and cost of capital and meaningfully lower capex than required to achieve aggressive growth forecasts that suggest a fundamental misunderstanding of the Ritchie Bros. business
- Aggressive forecasts for performance far in excess of Ritchie Bros.' upside forecasts described in Ritchie Bros.' joint proxy statement/prospectus
The Fact is: Using accurate calculations and data would result in much different outcomes.
It is also wrong that | The fact is: Ritchie Bros.' management team has a record of successful | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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It is also wrong that IAA | The fact is: IAA's investments and operational improvements have led to | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
IAA has:
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It is also wrong that by | The fact is: The opposite has shown to be true. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For example, just recently:
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It is also wrong for Luxor | The fact is: Our strong performance reflects successful strategic planning | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Our strong performance over the last several years is the result of decisive
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RITCHIE BROS.' MANAGEMENT TEAM HAS DELIVERED BEST IN CLASS SHAREHOLDER RETURNS
WITH IAA, WE CAN UNLOCK EVEN GREATER VALUE
VOTE "FOR" ALL PROPOSALS LISTED ON THE WHITE PROXY CARD
The increase in our stock price since the IAA acquisition was announced, feedback from many of our largest shareholders who have publicly supported the transaction and feedback we are privately hearing in our shareholder meetings make clear to us that Ritchie Bros. shareholders increasingly understand the compelling value creation opportunity from this transaction.
We urge you to join these shareholders and vote "FOR" on all proposals listed on the WHITE proxy card to ensure you realize the value catalyzed through the IAA acquisition. Any green proxy card you may receive from Luxor should be discarded.
Thank you for your continued support of Ritchie Bros.
Sincerely,
/s/
CEO
Any shareholder with questions about the Special Meeting or in | ||
Laurel Hill | | |
North American Toll Free: 1-877-452-7184 | North American Toll Free: 1-800-322-2885 | |
| Email: proxy@mackenziepartners.com | |
Email: assistance@laurelhill.com | ||
Information about the meeting is also available at www.RBASpecialMeeting.com |
About Ritchie Bros.
Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is a global asset management and disposition company, offering customers end-to-end solutions for buying and selling used heavy equipment, trucks and other assets. Operating in a number of sectors, including construction, transportation, agriculture, energy, mining, and forestry, the company's selling channels include:
Photos and video for embedding in media stories are available at rbauction.com/media.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains information relating to a proposed business combination transaction between
It is uncertain whether any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what impact they will have on the results of operations and financial condition of the combined companies or the price of RBA's common shares or IAA's common stock. Therefore, you should not place undue reliance on any such statements and caution must be exercised in relying on forward-looking statements. While RBA's and IAA's management believe the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, these forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the parties' control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the possibility that shareholders of RBA may not approve the issuance of new common shares of RBA in the transaction or that stockholders of IAA may not approve the adoption of the merger agreement; the risk that a condition to closing of the proposed IAA transaction may not be satisfied (or waived), that either party may terminate the merger agreement or that the closing of the proposed IAA transaction might be delayed or not occur at all; the anticipated tax treatment of the proposed IAA transaction; potential adverse reactions or changes to business or employee relationships, including those resulting from the announcement or completion of the proposed IAA transaction; the diversion of management time on transaction-related issues; the response of competitors to the proposed IAA transaction; the ultimate difficulty, timing, cost and results of integrating the operations of RBA and IAA; the effects of the business combination of RBA and IAA, including the combined company's future financial condition, results of operations, strategy and plans; the failure (or delay) to receive the required regulatory approval of the transaction; the fact that operating costs and business disruption may be greater than expected following the public announcement or consummation of the proposed IAA transaction; the effect of the announcement, pendency or consummation of the proposed IAA transaction on the trading price of RBA's common shares or IAA's common stock; the ability of RBA and/or IAA to retain and hire key personnel and employees; the significant costs associated with the proposed IAA transaction; the outcome of any legal proceedings that could be instituted against RBA, IAA and/or others relating to the proposed IAA transaction; restrictions during the pendency of the proposed IAA transaction that may impact the ability of RBA and/or IAA to pursue non-ordinary course transactions, including certain business opportunities or strategic transactions; the ability of the combined company to realize anticipated synergies in the amount, manner or timeframe expected or at all; the failure of the combined company to realize potential revenue, EBITDA, growth, operational enhancement, expansion or other value creation opportunities from the sources or in the amount, manner or timeframe expected or at all; the failure of the trading multiple of the combined company to normalize or re-rate and other fluctuations in such trading multiple; changes in capital markets and the ability of the combined company to generate cash flow and/or finance operations in the manner expected or to de-lever in the timeframe expected; the failure of RBA or the combined company to meet financial forecasts and/or KPI targets; any legal impediment to the payment of the special dividend by RBA, including TSX consent to the dividend record date; legislative, regulatory and economic developments affecting the business of RBA and IAA; general economic and market developments and conditions; the evolving legal, regulatory and tax regimes under which RBA and IAA operates; unpredictability and severity of catastrophic events, including, but not limited to, pandemics, acts of terrorism or outbreak of war or hostilities, as well as RBA's or IAA's response to any of the aforementioned factors. These risks, as well as other risks related to the proposed IAA transaction, are included in the Registration Statement (as defined below) and joint proxy statement/prospectus filed with the
For additional information about other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, please refer to RBA's and IAA's respective periodic reports and other filings with the
No Offer or Solicitation
This communication is not intended to and shall not constitute an offer to buy or sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities, or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the
Important Additional Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the proposed IAA transaction, RBA filed with the
Investors and security holders may obtain copies of these documents (when they are available) free of charge through the website maintained by the
Participants in the Solicitation
RBA and IAA, certain of their respective directors and executive officers and other members of management and employees, and
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This communication contains certain non-GAAP financial measures, including EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow. These non-GAAP financial measures are not calculated in accordance with GAAP and may exclude items that are significant in understanding and assessing a company's financial condition or operating results. Therefore, these measures should not be considered in isolation or as alternatives to financial measures under GAAP. In addition, these measures may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures used by other companies. Further information regarding non-GAAP financial measures is included in the
Disclaimers Regarding Financial Forecasts
RBA does not as a matter of course publicly disclose financial forecasts or projections as to future revenues or other results of its operations due to, among other reasons, the uncertainty, unpredictability and subjectivity of the underlying assumptions and estimates. However, in connection with the evaluation by the RBA board of directors of the proposed transaction with IAA, RBA management provided to the RBA board and its financial advisors standalone management forecasts for RBA's fiscal years 2022 through 2026. These forecasts were presented in the Registration Statement solely to give RBA shareholders access to the information that was made available to the RBA board, IAA and/or their respective financial advisors. Accordingly, such forecasts are not, and should not be construed as, financial guidance, nor relied on as such. The forecasts were not included in the Registration Statement in order to induce any RBA shareholder or IAA stockholder to vote in favor of any matter or to influence any RBA shareholder, IAA stockholder or any other person to make any investment decision with respect to the proposed transaction or otherwise. The forecasts are subjective in many respects and thus subject to interpretation. While presented with numerical specificity, the forecasts reflect numerous estimates and assumptions made by RBA's management at the time the forecasts were prepared that are difficult to predict and that are beyond RBA's control and are subject to change. The assumptions and estimates underlying the forecasts are inherently uncertain and are subject to a wide variety of significant business, economic, competitive and other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forecasts. Some or all of the estimates and assumptions underlying the forecasts may have changed since the date the forecasts were prepared. Accordingly, RBA cannot assure readers that the forecasts are necessarily predictive of the future performance of RBA, IAA or the combined company or that actual results will not differ materially from those presented in the forecasts. RBA has not updated the forecasts other than to the extent noted in the Registration Statement and does not intend to update or otherwise revise the forecasts to reflect circumstances existing since their preparation or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, even in the event that any or all of the underlying assumptions are shown to be in error, or to reflect changes in general economic or industry conditions. By including references to the forecasts in this communication, RBA is not making nor has it made any representation to any person regarding the ultimate performance of RBA, IAA or the combined company compared to the information contained in the forecasts. For the reasons described above, readers are cautioned not to place undue, if any, reliance on the forecasts. Further information regarding the RBA base case forecasts and the RBA upside forecasts is included in the Registration Statement. You should review the section titled "Certain RBA Financial Forecasts" in the Registration Statement (see "Important Additional Information and Where to Find It" above) for important information regarding the forecasts.
Ritchie Bros. Contacts
Investors
(510) 381-7584
srathod@ritchiebros.com
Media
(212) 355-4449
______________________________ |
i Potential opportunities and related information included in this communication are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply future targets, expectations or guidance. Estimates do not incorporate potential costs to achieve or specific timeframes. Reflects illustrative EV / NTM EBITDA range, based on pre-transaction blend at the low end and illustrative ~3.0x re-rating at the high end, informed by both (i) observed historical average blended multiple since IAA spin and (ii) blend of top decile observed EV / NTM EBITDA multiples for RBA and IAA over last twelve-month period ending |
ii Source: 13-F filings |
iii The period from |
iv GTV represents gross transaction value, which is the total proceeds from all items sold at the company's auctions and online marketplaces. GTV is not a measure of financial performance, liquidity, or revenue, and is not presented in the company's consolidated financial statements |
v Represents cumulative unlevered free cash flow generated from '23E –'26E. Unlevered free cash flow defined as adj. EBITDA including net realizable synergies less cash taxes, less capital expenditures and less changes in net working capital inclusive of estimated integration costs |
vi Reflects midpoint of range of estimated run-rate cost synergies ( |
vii Potential opportunities and related information included for illustrative purposes only and do not imply future targets, expectations or guidance. Estimates do not incorporate potential costs to achieve or specific timeframes. Figures are illustrative and un-discounted |
viii Forecasts do not imply future targets, expectations or guidance, and should not be relied upon as such. See the section entitled "Certain RBA Financial Forecasts" in the Registration Statement and the section titled "Disclaimers Regarding Financial Forecasts" in this communication for important information regarding such forecasts |
ix As of |
x Source: FactSet |
xi Evergreen model and KPI targets do not imply, and should not be relied upon as, future expectations or guidance |
xii Offer values calculated based on RBA closing price of |
xiii Special dividend of |
xiv Assumes conversion of |
xv Permission to use quotes neither sought nor obtained |
xvi Based on mean FactSet consensus as of |
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