Australian Qube Holdings shares surged to an all-time high on Monday following the ports and logistics firm agreeing to be acquired by a consortium comprised of Macquarie Asset Management at an enterprise value of approximately 11.7 billion Australian dollars ($8.26 billion).
Qube said in a statement that Qube Holdings rose by 3.6 percent to over 5 Australian dollars. The offer reflects a 27.8 percent premium to Qube’s last closing price of AU$4.07 on November 21, the final trading day prior to the company declaring it had entered an exclusivity process for the agreement.
The agreement is structured as an all-cash bid of A$5.20 per share for public shareholders, other than UniSuper, which offered about 15 percent of Qube and will transfer its stake into a new holding structure.
The consortium features Macquarie Asset Management and comprises UniSuper and Pontegadea, the investment company of the Spanish billionaire and Zara founder Amancio Ortega.
Qube Chairman John Bevan said, “The scheme consideration represents a significant premium to the share price prior to the announcement. It reflects the strength of the business today and the strong growth prospects Qube enjoys.”
Qube is a large Australian infrastructure and logistics company operating across Australia, Southeast Asia, and New Zealand. It has a network that is in charge of various freight services, including bulk commodity exports. There are approximately 10,000 employees at the company.
The deal should be presented to shareholders approximately June 2026, and subject to regulatory approvals, such as those of the Foreign Investment Review Board of Australia, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Overseas Investment Office of New Zealand, and the competition regulator of Papua New Guinea.
Eventually, when the deal is delayed beyond December 15, 2026, the consortium might pay an additional 2 Australian cents per share per month until completion.
Macquarie Asset Management now has approximately AU$720 billion in assets under management globally across the public and private markets, which include portfolio companies in the infrastructure sector, real estate, and green investment sector.
