Wed, 22 Oct 1997

Bhakti Investama to offer 123m shares to public

JAKARTA (JP): Amid currency and stock market woes, securities firm PT Bhakti Investama plans to float 123 million shares to the public next month at a base price of Rp 700 (20 U.S. cents) a share.

Bhakti Investama president Hary Tanoesudibdjo told Antara in Surabaya, East Java, yesterday that the company would use about 90 percent of the proceeds to strengthen its working capital.

The company would use the remaining 10 percent to upgrade the skills of its human resources and open new outlets.

Hary said his company decided to go ahead with its going- public plan after receiving assurances from various local and overseas fund managers that they would support the offer.

"Our road shows in some countries and a public presentation in Jakarta got a positive response from both institutional and individual investors," Hary said.

The company had conducted road shows for fund managers in Singapore, Hong Kong, London, Edinburgh and several cities in the United States.

"Some of them have even expressed their intention of purchasing our shares," he added.

Hary said he was confident that many foreign fund managers would subscribe to the company's share offers as foreign investors could now have up to an 85-percent stake in public firms.

The company has appointed PT Sinarmas Sekuritas as its main underwriter and Natwest Market as its international financial advisor.

Bhakti Investama itself has underwritten initial public offerings, rights issues and tender offers of some firms like PT Bank Papan Sejahtera, PT Steady Safe, PT Bank CIC, PT Bank Arya and PT Artha Graha Investama Sentral.

The company recorded a net profit of Rp 16.7 billion (US$4.6 million) during the first half of this year. It expects a net profit of between Rp 26 billion and Rp 28 billion this year.

After going public, the company would be 56.44 percent controlled by PT Bhakti Panjiwira, 14.11 percent by PT Maharani Tirta Artha, 0.7 percent by Hary Tanoesudibdjo and 28.74 percent by public shareholders. (rid)