City of London Investment Group PLC (LON:CLIG) has agreed an all-share takeover of US fund manager Karpus Management Inc.
The consideration is £78.4mln based on a share price of 325p and will boost the investment group's US presence and diversify it away from the volatile emerging markets segment, CLIG said.
Karpus’s closed-end speciality is also a new segment for the UK group, it added.
Based in New York, Karpus had US$3.4bn under management at the end of May 2020. Founder and chairman and chief executive George Karpus is the firm’s majority shareholder with a 66% stake and will remain with the business. Net fee income in the year to June 2019 was US$25.7mln.
In a statement, Barry Aling, City of London’s chairman commented: "CLIG shareholders will know that the objective of diversifying our revenue base beyond the capacity-constrained emerging market CEF universe has been a strategic priority for some years and this merger will result in a quantum leap in realising that goal."
“I believe that this combination will result in CLIG becoming THE global 'Go-To' CEF house,” he added.
George Karpus, chairman of Karpus Management said: "Using closed-end funds trading at discounts to their net asset values to out-perform other investment managers is something that Barry Olliff, the founder of CLIG and I discovered many years ago.”
The offer details noted that CLIG's funds under management had recovered to US$5bn as of May 31, having dropped by 26% to US$4.4bn in March.
However, it said that no more market guidance will be issued until the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has abated.