Saudi Aramco buys 70% of Sabic for $69 billion

Bloomberg

Saudi Aramco began executing the acquisition of a 70% stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corp. through block trades worth 259 billion riyals ($69 billion) on Sunday.
A total of 2.1 billion Sabic shares changed hands on the Saudi exchange in four transactions as the oil company moves ahead with the purchase from the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Aramco will pay 93.3 billion riyals (about $24.8 billion) this week as a first installment in the deal, Maaal news website reported, citing unidentified people.
Under the terms of the acquisition, Aramco will pay the remaining $44 billion in four installments until September 2025. The purchase of Sabic is a key part of Aramco’s strategy of expanding oil production into chemicals. The deal could pump billions of dollars into the PIF, helping it to create jobs and diversify the economy.
The initial agreement involved Aramco paying 123.4 riyals ($32.85) a share for Sabic, a value 39% higher than the price of the stock on Sunday. Sabic lost 0.6% to trade at 88.50 riyals in Riyadh on Sunday, while Aramco declined 0.3% to 32.25 riyals.
“The deal completion is on-track with expectations to be finalised before the end of the second quarter,” Aramco said in a statement. “All necessary pre-closing regulatory clearances have been obtained.”