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A couple months ago, I wrote an article about one of Canada’s main reinsurance companies. Namely Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, I also elaborated on how the company had been incredibly positioned to benefit from the financial meltdown of 2008. Through the sale of its large credit default swaps portfolio and a recent $1 billion public offering, the company has built an impressive cash position that it has used to invest in numerous ways, mainly by investing in the stock market but more importantly by acquiring the minority interest of two of its jewel subsidiaries.
At the beginning of December 2009, Fairfax Financial made an offer to the minority shareholders of it’s Canadian subsidiary Northbridge Financial Corporation. The details of that transaction were quite simple and very attractive to any single one of the company’s shareholders at the time.
It was an offer to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Northbridge, other than those shares already held by Fairfax, for $39.00 in cash per common share, representing total cash consideration of approximately $686 million. At the time, $39.00 per Northbridge common share represented a premium of approximately 28.9% over the $30.25 closing price of Northbridge common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange on November 13th, 2008, the day Fairfax approached Northbridge’s board of directors to consider the proposed transaction.
As Fairfax’s press release underlined it, the proposed transaction also represents a 31.8% premium over the 30-trading day volume-weighted average closing price for the period ended November 28, 2008 of $29.59 and a 160.0% premium over the May 21, 2003 initial Northbridge public offering price of $15.00 per common share, it was pretty rewarding for long term as well as trading shareholders of Northbridge Financial. At the time, Fairfax owned 30,111,306 common shares or approximately 63.1% of Northbridge’s outstanding common shares.
It seems that Vivan Prem Watsa is striking again; this time with Northbridge’s American sibling, Odyssey Re Holdings Corporation. According to the September 18th press release, the price of $65 per share in cash represents a 29.8% premium over the closing price on September 4, 2009 (the date on which Fairfax publicly announced that it was proposing to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of Odyssey Re that Fairfax does not currently own for $60 per share) and a 33.4% premium over the 30-day average closing price for the period ending on September 4, 2009. The complete transaction would amount to about $1.8 Billion. Based on Odyssey Re’s initial public offering price of $18.00 per share in June 2001, the purchase price represents a compounded annual return of 17.3% through the date of the merger agreement.
The acquisition of those two reinsurance powerhouses and the investing incredible investment ability of Fairfax’s CEO Prem Watsa reinforce my conviction in the future growth of the company. I remain convinced that even at a price of 398$ per share at market close on September 18, 2009, this company is clearly undervalued by the market.
10-year target selling price: 651$
Disclosure: The author is long FFH.TO
At the beginning of December 2009, Fairfax Financial made an offer to the minority shareholders of it’s Canadian subsidiary Northbridge Financial Corporation. The details of that transaction were quite simple and very attractive to any single one of the company’s shareholders at the time.
It was an offer to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Northbridge, other than those shares already held by Fairfax, for $39.00 in cash per common share, representing total cash consideration of approximately $686 million. At the time, $39.00 per Northbridge common share represented a premium of approximately 28.9% over the $30.25 closing price of Northbridge common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange on November 13th, 2008, the day Fairfax approached Northbridge’s board of directors to consider the proposed transaction.
As Fairfax’s press release underlined it, the proposed transaction also represents a 31.8% premium over the 30-trading day volume-weighted average closing price for the period ended November 28, 2008 of $29.59 and a 160.0% premium over the May 21, 2003 initial Northbridge public offering price of $15.00 per common share, it was pretty rewarding for long term as well as trading shareholders of Northbridge Financial. At the time, Fairfax owned 30,111,306 common shares or approximately 63.1% of Northbridge’s outstanding common shares.
It seems that Vivan Prem Watsa is striking again; this time with Northbridge’s American sibling, Odyssey Re Holdings Corporation. According to the September 18th press release, the price of $65 per share in cash represents a 29.8% premium over the closing price on September 4, 2009 (the date on which Fairfax publicly announced that it was proposing to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of Odyssey Re that Fairfax does not currently own for $60 per share) and a 33.4% premium over the 30-day average closing price for the period ending on September 4, 2009. The complete transaction would amount to about $1.8 Billion. Based on Odyssey Re’s initial public offering price of $18.00 per share in June 2001, the purchase price represents a compounded annual return of 17.3% through the date of the merger agreement. 
The acquisition of those two reinsurance powerhouses and the investing incredible investment ability of Fairfax’s CEO Prem Watsa reinforce my conviction in the future growth of the company. I remain convinced that even at a price of 398$ per share at market close on September 18, 2009, this company is clearly undervalued by the market. 10-year target selling price: 651$
Disclosure: The author is long FFH.TO
I have never regarded banks' insurance companies' financial services companies as real busineses. All they do is recycle money. I also have never invested in any financial services companies and never will. Just look at their record almost 2 out of every 3 savings and loans went out of business in the 1980's and just think about what happened a couple of years ago. Do I need to say anymore. Oh one other thing most If not all of the publicly traded subprime lenders are out of business today.
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