Veolia Environnement S.A.
's (
VE
) subsidiary Veolia Environmental Services North America has
entered into an agreement, worth $1.909 billion, with Star Atlantic
Waste Holdings II, L.P., a unit of Highstar Capital, to sell its
U.S. solid waste activities. This transaction is subject to U.S.
anti-trust authority approvals and expected to be completed within
this year.
Veolia plans to utilize the net proceeds of this agreement to
repay its outstanding debt. The rest of the amount will be deployed
to strengthen the company's hazardous waste and industrial services
business. As a result, the company expects its net financial debt
to decline by $1.820 billion from $18.42 billion as of March 31,
2012. This will subsequently enable the company to minimize its
interest burden.
This transaction is an important step towards Veolia's
pre-announced asset divestment program of $6.14 billion, which the
company expects to complete by 2013. At the same time, the company
also plans to reduce its net financial debt level to less than
$14.7 billion within 2013 and reduce cost of operations. To execute
this program, the company has already taken its first significant
step. On June 28, 2012, Veolia's unit Veolia Water UK PLC sold its
UK regulated water activities to Rift Acquisitions Limited for a
price of $1.9 billion. The company utilized part of the net
proceeds, around $1.8 billion, to repay its debt.
Based in France, Veolia Environnement is a provider of
environmental management services to its worldwide consumers. It
operates through three segments namely Water, Environmental
Services, and Energy Services.
During Veolia's fiscal 2011 earnings results in March 2012, the
company had announced a dividend payout of approximately 86 cents
per share for both fiscal year 2011 and 2012, which are scheduled
to be paid in 2012 and 2013. The company also provided a business
outlook beyond 2013. The company forecasts organic revenue growth
of 3% per year from 2013, while adjusted operating cash flow is
expected to be over 5% per annum.
Veolia Environnement S.A. currently retains a Zacks #3 Rank,
which translates into a short-term Hold rating. The company
competes with
Connecticut Water Service, Inc.
(
CTWS
) and
American Water Works Company, Inc
(
AWK
).
AMER WATER WORK (AWK): Free Stock Analysis
Report
CONN WATER SVC (CTWS): Free Stock Analysis
Report
VEOLIA ENVIRON (VE): Free Stock Analysis Report
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