Legacy Gets Lowball Offers

Article Excerpt

LEGACY HOTELS REIT $12.11 (Toronto symbol LGY.UN; SI Rating: Extra Risk) has confirmed that it has received several nonbinding takeover offers worth about $12.60 a unit. That’s well below earlier expectations of up to $15, and the units fell 16% on the news. Legacy shot up to $14 in March after it announced it was conducting a “strategic review”, including a possible sale. The shares reached $15 in June. Ottawa’s proposed new rules on income trusts would make it harder for a hotel operator like Legacy to operate as a REIT, so the company is unlikely to continue it its present form. Legacy owns many of Canada’s top hotels, as well as luxury hotels in the U.S. This announcement could prompt more bidders to make an offer. Even if Legacy decides against a takeover, the strategic review has helped highlight some of its hidden value. Legacy is a hold. hold…