TOKYO (Reuters) – SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) plans to raise as much as $41 billion to buy back shares and reduce debt in an unprecedented move to restore investor confidence as a financial market rout pummels its shares and its portfolio companies.
The Japanese tech conglomerate’s plans come as it contends with a growing financial squeeze on the company and its $100 billion Vision Fund, which has recorded two consecutive quarters of losses after its tech bets fell short, compounded by the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the global economy.
Its shares jumped 19% for their biggest daily gain in nearly 12 years after the pledge to sell or monetize up to 4.5 trillion yen ($41 billion) of assets to buy back 2 trillion yen of its shares in addition to a buyback of up to 500 billion yen announced earlier this month.
The buyback tops the $20 billion of purchases sought by activist investor Elliott Management, which has put pressure on SoftBank to improve shareholder returns, and…
Source Reuters Tech News
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