Hundreds of Everton fans fear the club’s recent takeover has led to a dramatic collapse in the value of their shares, with the estate of the late chairman, Bill Kenwright, thought to be facing possible losses of as much as £5million.
There are about 1,500 supporters who own approximately 8,000
shares, which before Everton were sold by Farhad Moshiri to The Friedkin Group
(TFG) in December amounted to 5 per cent of the club. As recently as November
last year, shares were being traded in private sales for £3,400.
But the takeover has led to the total number of shares
increasing from 135,000 to more than 1.6 million, with the supporters’
collective stake now less than 0.5 per cent and concerned fans estimating that
each individual share is worth less than £175.
Ian Kilbride, who only two months ago increased his stake to
200 shares at a price of £3,400, has told The
Times that he is worried his total £680,000 investment is now worth only
£35,000. He has written to the club urgently seeking clarity on the situation
while expressing concern that the TFG deal has led to the “destruction of
minority shareholders’ rights and value”.
The Everton Shareholders Association, which includes about
300 of those 1,500 minority shareholders, is due to meet with club directors
next week in the hope of finding out more about the new American owners’
intentions. In advance of the meeting they have sent a number of questions,
among them whether TFG is looking to buy them out.
TFG’s acquisition of a 99.5 per cent stake in the club was
welcomed by the majority of fans. Moshiri’s loans had been wiped out and with
David Moyes back as manager and a new stadium ready to move into next
season, the future is looking brighter. Clearly, however, there is also a cost
to those who retain the remaining 7,969 shares.
John Blain, vice-chairman of the Shar holders Association,
says many members of the shareholders’ association have no desire to sell and
would not welcome a blanket purchase by TFG. He also makes the point that,
technically, the shares remain worth what someone is prepared to pay for them.
They could still demand £3,400, although any buyer would be able to argue that,
while the club’s value may have risen since the TFG takeover, it is nowhere
near the £5billion valuation it would need to achieve for one of the 1.62
million shares to be worth more than £3,000.
There is clearly an issue about dilution here, but would one
buy shares in a football club as an investment? Normally one would do it as a means of identifying
with and supporting the club. I have
spent thousands of pounds on shares in my non-league club, but I regard them as
donations to the club, albeit one that gives me a say in what goes on given
that there is no majority owner – a different situation from Everton.
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