Stora Enso issues new bond and makes tender offer for outstanding bonds
STORA ENSO OYJ STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 31 May 2017 at 18.30 EEST
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNITED STATES, ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS (INCLUDING PUERTO RICO, THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS, GUAM, AMERICAN SAMOA, WAKE ISLAND AND THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS), ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (SEE "OFFER AND DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTIONS" BELOW)
Stora Enso has successfully issued a new EUR 300 million, under its EMTN (Euro Medium Term Note) programme. The bond matures in June 2027 and pays a fixed coupon of 2.5%. The issue price was 99.834, equivalent to a yield of 2.519% and Euro Mid-swaps +175 basis points. There are no financial covenants for the bond. The bond will be listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.
Stora Enso is also announcing a tender offer for its outstanding EUR 204 106 000 and EUR 418 781 000 fixed rate notes maturing in 2018 and 2019, respectively (the “Offers”). The cash prices of the Offers are 104.08% for the 2018 notes and 109.87% for the 2019 notes, which correspond a yield of -0.25% and -0.15%, respectively. The Offers expire at 17.00 CEST on 7 June 2017. The settlement date is expected to be 9 June 2017.
The bookrunners for the transactions are Citibank, SEB, and Barclays.
“We are using the momentum of these favourable credit market conditions to extend the maturity profile and at the same time tender our current outstanding shorter maturities. We continue to manage our portfolio efficiently and proactively,” says SVP Treasurer Martin Ros.
For further information, please contact:
Martin Ros, SVP, Treasurer, tel. +46 1046 71078
Investor enquiries:
Ulla Paajanen-Sainio, SVP, Investor Relations, tel. +358 40 763 8767
Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper on global markets. Our aim is to replace fossil-based materials by innovating and developing new products and services based on wood and other renewable materials. We employ some 25 000 people in more than 35 countries, and our sales in 2016 were EUR 9.8 billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Nasdaq Stockholm (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs (SEOAY). storaenso.com
STORA ENSO OYJ
OFFER AND DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTIONS
The distribution of this announcement and the tender offer memorandum prepared in connection with the Offers (the “Tender Offer Memorandum”) in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this announcement and/or the Tender Offer Memorandum comes are required by each of Stora Enso, the Dealer Managers and the Tender Agent to inform themselves about, and to observe, any such restrictions. Neither this announcement nor the Tender Offer Memorandum constitutes (i) an offer to buy or a solicitation of an offer to sell the Notes (and tenders of Notes in the Offer will not be accepted from Noteholders) in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful or (ii) an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the New Notes. In those jurisdictions where the securities, blue sky or other laws require the Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer and either of the Dealer Managers or any of their respective affiliates is such a licensed broker or dealer in any such jurisdiction, the Offer shall be deemed to be made by such Dealer Manager or such affiliate, as the case may be, on behalf of Stora Enso in such jurisdiction.
Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in these “Offer and Distribution Restrictions” have the meaning given to them in the Tender Offer Memorandum.
No action has been or will be taken in any jurisdiction in relation to the New Notes to permit a public offering of securities.
United States. The Offers are not being made, and will not be made, directly or indirectly in or into, or by use of the mails of, or by any means or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce of or of any facilities of a national securities exchange of, the United States or to or for the account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (within the meaning of Regulation S under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Regulation S”)) (each a “U.S. Person”). This includes, but is not limited to, facsimile transmission, electronic mail, telex, telephone, the internet and other forms of electronic communication. The Notes may not be tendered in the Offers by any such use, means, instrumentality or facility from or within the United States or by persons located or resident in the United States, as defined in Regulation S. Accordingly, copies of this announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum and any other documents or materials relating to the Offers are not being, and must not be, directly or indirectly mailed or otherwise transmitted, distributed or forwarded (including, without limitation, by custodians, nominees or trustees) in or into the United States or to any U.S. Person and the Notes cannot be tendered in the Offers by any such use, means, instrumentality or facility or from or within or by persons located or resident in the United States or by any U.S. Person. Any purported tender of Notes resulting directly or indirectly from a violation of these restrictions will be invalid and any purported tender of Notes made by a U.S. Person or any agent, fiduciary or other intermediary acting on a non-discretionary basis for a principal giving instructions from within the United States will be invalid and will not be accepted.
Neither this announcement nor the Tender Offer Memorandum is an offer of securities for sale in the United States or to U.S. Persons. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under, or an exemption from the registration requirements of, the Securities Act. The New Notes have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, and may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. Persons.
Each holder of Notes participating in an Offer will represent that it is not a U.S. Person and is not participating in such Offer from the United States, or it is acting on a non-discretionary basis for a principal located outside the United States that is not giving an order to participate in such Offer from the United States and who is not a U.S. Person. For the purposes of this and the above two paragraphs, “United States” means the United States of America, its territories and possessions (including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Wake Island and the Northern Mariana Islands), any state of the United States of America and the District of Columbia.
United Kingdom. The communication of this announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum and any other documents or materials relating to the Offers is not being made, and such documents and/or materials have not been approved, by an authorised person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Accordingly, such documents and/or materials are not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom. The communication of such documents and/or materials as a financial promotion is only being made to, and may only be acted upon by, those persons in the United Kingdom falling within the definition of investment professionals (as defined in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Financial Promotion Order”)) or within Article 43 of the Financial Promotion Order or to any other persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be made under the Financial Promotion Order.
Italy. None of the Offers, this announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum and any other document or materials relating to the Offers have been or will be submitted to the clearance procedures of the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (“CONSOB”) pursuant to Italian laws and regulations. The Offers are being carried out in Italy as exempted offers pursuant to article 101-bis, paragraph 3-bis of the Legislative Decree No. 58 of 24 February 1998, as amended (the “Financial Services Act”) and article 35-bis, paragraph 4 of CONSOB Regulation No. 11971 of 14 May 1999, as amended. Accordingly, Noteholders or beneficial owners of the Notes that are located in Italy can tender Notes for purchase pursuant to an Offer through authorised persons (such as investment firms, banks or financial intermediaries permitted to conduct such activities in Italy in accordance with the Financial Services Act, CONSOB Regulation No. 16190 of 29 October 2007, as amended from time to time, and Legislative Decree No. 385 of 1 September 1993, as amended) and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations or with requirements imposed by CONSOB or any other Italian authority.
Each intermediary must comply with the applicable laws and regulations concerning information duties vis-à-vis its clients in connection with the Notes or the Offers.
France. The Offers are not being made, directly or indirectly, to the public in the Republic of France (“France”). None of this announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum or any other document or material relating to the Offers has been or shall be distributed to the public in France and only (i) providers of investment services relating to portfolio management for the account of third parties (personnes fournissant le service d’investissement de gestion de portefeuille pour compte de tiers) and/or (ii) qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) other than individuals acting for their own account, all as defined in, and in accordance with, Articles L.411-1, L.411-2 and D.411-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier, are eligible to participate in the Offers. This announcement, the Tender Offer Memorandum and any other documents or materials relating to the Offers have not been and will not be submitted for clearance to nor approved by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers.
General. Neither this announcement nor the Tender Offer Memorandum, nor the electronic transmission thereof constitutes an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell Notes (and tenders of Notes for purchase pursuant to the Offers will not be accepted any Noteholder) in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. In those jurisdictions where the securities, blue sky or other laws require an Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer and any of the Dealer Managers or any of their respective affiliates is such a licensed broker or dealer in any such jurisdiction, such Offer shall be deemed to be made by such Dealer Manager or such affiliate, as the case may be, on behalf of Stora Enso in such jurisdiction.
Nothing in this announcement or the Tender Offer Memorandum, or the electronic transmission thereof, constitutes an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the New Notes in the United States or any other jurisdiction.
In addition to the representations referred to above in respect of the United States, each Noteholder participating in an Offer will also be deemed to give certain representations, acknowledgements, warranties and undertakings and make certain agreements in respect of the other jurisdictions referred to above and generally as set out in “Procedures for Participating in the Offers” in the Tender Offer Memorandum. Any tender of Notes for purchase pursuant to an Offer from a Noteholder that is unable to make these representations will not be accepted. Each of Stora Enso, the Dealer Managers and the Tender Agent reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to investigate, in relation to any tender of Notes for purchase pursuant to an Offer, whether any such representation given by a Noteholder is correct and, if such investigation is undertaken and as a result Stora Enso determines (for any reason) that such representation is not correct, such tender may be rejected.
For further information, please contact:
Martin Ros
SVP, Treasurer
tel. +46 1046 71078
Investor enquiries:
Ulla Paajanen-Sainio
SVP, Investor Relations
tel. +358 40 763 8767