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MADRID -- Spain's Gas Natural SDG SA on Tuesday reported an 8.2% rise in fourth-quarter net profit, helped by higher electricity prices and an increase in power output.
The company, Spain's largest gas distributor by market value, said its net profit in the quarter ended Dec. 31 rose to €252 million ($327.9 million) from €233 million a year earlier. Sales rose 39% to €3.84 billion from €2.76 billion.
Gas Natural said that it has no plans to sell the gas business of acquisition target Union Fenosa SA, run jointly with Italy's Eni SpA. The company aims to sell off certain assets to help fund the acquisition.
Eni, which holds 50% of Union Fenosa Gas, has already said it may use pre-emptive rights to acquire the other half. Spanish authorities will need to decide whether Gas Natural can keep Union Fenosa Gas or not, Gas Natural Chief Executive Rafael Villaseca said in a conference call with analysts.
When Gas Natural announced its plan to buy Fenosa in July, the company was valued at €16.75 billion.
Gas Natural's fourth-quarter results were boosted by higher Spanish electricity pool prices, as well as a rise in electricity output in Spain and Latin America. Spanish power prices rose as a drought led to a lower output of inexpensive hydroelectric power.
In contrast, Gas Natural's gas distribution receded slightly in the fourth quarter, while its gas supply also fell.
The company's net debt rose to €4.91 billion at the end of 2008, up 33% from a year earlier. Debt was boosted by the purchase of a first 9.9% stake in Fenosa from leading shareholder Actividades de Construccion y Servicios SA, or ACS, in August.
Spain's competition authority CNC is expected in coming days or weeks to approve Gas Natural's purchase of the remaining 35.4% of Union Fenosa from ACS. Once Gas Natural has bought at least 30% of Fenosa, by Spanish law it is obliged to make a full bid for the company.
To finance the acquisition, Gas Natural plans a €3.5 billion capital increase, which is scheduled for shareholder approval in an extraordinary meeting on March 10. The company doesn't plan to boost the size of the capital increase to finance the purchase of Fenosa, Mr. Villaseca said.
Gas Natural's biggest shareholders Repsol SA and savings bank La Caixa have already said they will participate in the capital increase, while GDF Suez SA, which holds 8.8% in Gas Natural, Monday said it hasn't decided yet whether it will subscribe to the increase. Repsol holds 31% in Gas Natural, while La Caixa has 37%.
Mr. Villaseca said 10 energy companies have already shown interest in possible divestments that Gas Natural may undertake in the course of the Union Fenosa purchase.
To compensate shareholders for possible losses in the value of the company's share price due to the likely dilutive nature of the capital increase, Gas Natural could propose an extraordinary dividend for shareholders, Mr. Villaseca added.
The company, Spain's largest gas distributor by market value, said its net profit in the quarter ended Dec. 31 rose to €252 million ($327.9 million) from €233 million a year earlier. Sales rose 39% to €3.84 billion from €2.76 billion.
Gas Natural said that it has no plans to sell the gas business of acquisition target Union Fenosa SA, run jointly with Italy's Eni SpA. The company aims to sell off certain assets to help fund the acquisition.
Eni, which holds 50% of Union Fenosa Gas, has already said it may use pre-emptive rights to acquire the other half. Spanish authorities will need to decide whether Gas Natural can keep Union Fenosa Gas or not, Gas Natural Chief Executive Rafael Villaseca said in a conference call with analysts.
When Gas Natural announced its plan to buy Fenosa in July, the company was valued at €16.75 billion.
Gas Natural's fourth-quarter results were boosted by higher Spanish electricity pool prices, as well as a rise in electricity output in Spain and Latin America. Spanish power prices rose as a drought led to a lower output of inexpensive hydroelectric power.
In contrast, Gas Natural's gas distribution receded slightly in the fourth quarter, while its gas supply also fell.
The company's net debt rose to €4.91 billion at the end of 2008, up 33% from a year earlier. Debt was boosted by the purchase of a first 9.9% stake in Fenosa from leading shareholder Actividades de Construccion y Servicios SA, or ACS, in August.
Spain's competition authority CNC is expected in coming days or weeks to approve Gas Natural's purchase of the remaining 35.4% of Union Fenosa from ACS. Once Gas Natural has bought at least 30% of Fenosa, by Spanish law it is obliged to make a full bid for the company.
To finance the acquisition, Gas Natural plans a €3.5 billion capital increase, which is scheduled for shareholder approval in an extraordinary meeting on March 10. The company doesn't plan to boost the size of the capital increase to finance the purchase of Fenosa, Mr. Villaseca said.
Gas Natural's biggest shareholders Repsol SA and savings bank La Caixa have already said they will participate in the capital increase, while GDF Suez SA, which holds 8.8% in Gas Natural, Monday said it hasn't decided yet whether it will subscribe to the increase. Repsol holds 31% in Gas Natural, while La Caixa has 37%.
Mr. Villaseca said 10 energy companies have already shown interest in possible divestments that Gas Natural may undertake in the course of the Union Fenosa purchase.
To compensate shareholders for possible losses in the value of the company's share price due to the likely dilutive nature of the capital increase, Gas Natural could propose an extraordinary dividend for shareholders, Mr. Villaseca added.