LONDON - Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm, has successfully completed the placement of 10.5 million ordinary shares of IONOS Group SE, a leading provider of cloud infrastructure and hosting services, at a price of EUR 21.85 per share, resulting in a total volume of approximately EUR 229 million. The transaction, which was announced as an accelerated bookbuild offering, was finalized today.
The shares sold represent 7.5% of IONOS' share capital, increasing the company's free float to approximately 27.2%. This move aims to enhance the liquidity of IONOS stock and expand its base of institutional investors. It is important to note that IONOS was not a party to the placement and will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares.
Following the placement, the selling shareholder, WP XII Venture Holdings II SCSp, an entity affiliated with Warburg Pincus, has agreed to a 60-day lock-up period on its remaining holdings in IONOS, with certain customary exceptions allowed.
The placement was managed by several financial institutions acting as Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners, including Barclays (LON:BARC) Bank PLC, Berenberg, Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE:DB), and J.P. Morgan SE. Legal advice to the selling shareholder was provided by Freshfields.
The announcement underscores the importance of regulatory compliance, as the placement was directed exclusively at qualified investors in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom (TADAWUL:4280), in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation and the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
As per industry practice, the Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners may have taken up a portion of the securities in a principal position and could retain, purchase, sell, or offer to sell such securities for their own accounts in connection with the offering or otherwise. However, they are responsible solely to the selling shareholder in this placement and not to any other party.
This placement highlights Warburg Pincus' strategic management of its investment in IONOS, reflecting the dynamic nature of equity holdings in the technology and cloud services sector. The information provided in this article is based on a press release statement.
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