SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is the biggest engineering and construction company in Canada. The company had reportedly hired Morgan Stanley and the Royal Bank of Canada to help SNC sell an equity stake in its AltaLink power transmission unit.
SNC would be exploring all options for the unit. This would include a private sale, strategic partnerships and a public market alternative investment. This was according to a statement issued by SNC today. SNC shares jumped the most in the last three months.
After his appointment last year, Chief Executive Officer Robert Card had been reshaping SNC after a corruption scandal. The said scandal involved his predecessor, Kevin Wallace, which later led to investor lawsuits and fraud probes. In August, Card told analysts that he wanted the company to exit some infrastructure investments once they reached maturity.
A Desjardins Capital Markets analyst Pierre Lacroix said that AltaLink could be valued around CAD10 per share piece or about CAD1.5 billion. Lacroix added that a sale of around 20% to 25% would likely take place. The Desjardins Capital Markets analysts also recommended the acquisition of SNC shares.
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