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(Bloomberg) – Shares of Adnoc Logistics & Services, the marine logistics unit of Abu Dhabi’s major energy company, surged 52% in their first day after a massively oversubscribed initial public offering of $769 million.
Thursday’s share price gain was the third-biggest this year globally, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Shares in Adnoc L&S opened at AED 2.91, above the issue price of AED 2.01, which was the top of the market range. ADNOC sold 1.41 billion shares, or a 19 percent stake, in the IPO, valuing the company at $4.05 billion.
The offering attracted overwhelming investor demand, with a total order book of $125 billion, surpassing the level of Saudi Aramco’s record $29.4 billion IPO, which garnered demand of more than $119 billion. Adnoc increased the size of its IPO by more than a quarter amid strong investor interest.
“The surge was to be expected given that the stock is priced to offer a good dividend yield and growth potential,” said Faisal Hasan, chief investment officer at Al Mal Capital. “The level of oversubscription is unprecedented, setting the stage for a strong increase in secondary market pricing.”
Adnoc L&S’ performance and the level of demand for its IPO suggest continued interest in listings in the Persian Gulf. Still, deal volume was down 69% from a year ago at $3.5 billion, excluding the latest listings, data compiled by Bloomberg showed.
Oil prices surged after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, but have since fallen on concerns that an economic slowdown could weigh on energy demand. That, in turn, has hurt equity markets in the Gulf region, with the MSCI GCC countries index down nearly 18% over the past year.
State-owned Adnoc raised $2.5 billion earlier this year through the listing of its natural gas business, a deal that has also scaled up, eventually attracting $124 billion in orders. Investors are drawn to initial public offerings in the region by high dividend yields, which are attractive in an environment of rising interest rates.
Adnoc has been selling stakes in its unit since around 2017 to help fund diversification of the economy and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. It took chemicals company Borouge public last year and has previously sold stakes in its drilling unit and fertilizer company Fertiglobe, among others.
Citigroup, First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC, HSBC Holdings Plc and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are joint global coordinators for the Adnoc L&S IPO.
(Update price in first paragraph and add comment in fourth.)
©2023 Bloomberg Intelligence
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