Nuplex to halt share buyback in lead-up to board meetings

Tuesday 23rd June 2015

Nuplex Industries, the specialty chemicals maker, has decided to suspend its share buyback scheme in the lead-up to board meetings in another effort to ensure it doesn't unduly influence the share price.

The Auckland based company adopted a new procedure where it will "cease the buyback once board papers for upcoming board meetings have been distributed to directors, and until the conclusion of the board meeting," it said in a statement. For this month's board meeting, that means the scheme was suspended from June 19 and won't resume until June 30, which coincides with the testing of executive long term incentives.

Earlier this year Nuplex decided to buy back 5 percent of its shares on issue after a series of asset sales helped reduce the firm's debt and strengthen the balance sheet.

Among the conditions of the buyback, Nuplex will only buy shares through the NZX order matching system, won't buy more than a quarter of the trading volume in a five day period, won't make the opening transaction or trade in the final 15 minutes of a session, and won't pay more than 5 percent above the average volume weighted price in a five day period.

Nuplex shares were unchanged at $4.20 today, and have gained 41 percent this year. The stock is rated an average 'buy' based on six analyst recommendations compiled by Reuters, with a median target price of $4.03.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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