Attacq builds on its property share success

Since listing on the JSE in October 2013, Attacq share price has consistently traded around the R18 mark with strong demand and positive sentiment.

JSE-listed property group, Attacq previously Atterbury Investment Holdings, says it has in succession produced results in terms of returning on shareholder capital growth.

Since JSE listing in October last year, the company share price has consistently traded around the R18 mark with strong demand and positive sentiment.

Attacq shares were also the subject of an oversubscribed R900 million secondary placement at R16.10 per share by the Mertech Group of Companies in a November 2013 accelerated bookbuild.

The placement was conducted at a 3% discount to the previous day’s closing price and was largely taken up by institutional shareholders, growing Attacq’s investor base.

It also saw Coronation Asset Management increase its shareholding in Attacq to over 8%.

Attacq CEO Morne Wilken says: “An increase in the free float, from roughly 40% after listing to around 45% currently will increase liquidity in the share, and the inclusion of Attacq in the JSE SAPY Index at the end of last year had a positive impact on demand for Attacq shares from institutions and fund managers tracking the index.”

Underpinning Attacq’s appeal is its property assets and developments and work at Waterfall Business Estate, one of the jewels in the Attacq portfolio, is progressing apace. Two further developments have also been secured in Waterfall since the listing, namely a new 10,000sqm distribution centre for Covidien and a 7,000sqm office block for Novartis.

All the major developments in Waterfall, including the super-regional Mall of Africa, are on track. To date four large projects have been completed in Waterfall: the 44,200sqm Cell C Campus, the 26,286sqm premises for MBT Technologies, the 23,139sqm head office for Group 5 and the 6,198sqm head office for Golder and Associates.

And, progressing its diversification strategy, Attacq has acquired 12.4% of African Land Investments, increasing its exposure to its sub-Saharan target markets. 

African Land owns the 44,000sqm Manda Hill Mall in Lusaka, Zambia – the country’s first regional shopping centre and the largest in sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa. Hyprop Investments Limited has taken up 87% in African Land. African Land will continue as a separate property entity with the view to growing its property portfolio by acquiring quality, predominantly retail properties in key sub-Saharan African jurisdictions outside South Africa.

This expands Attacq’s presence in other African countries, which includes co-investment with the Atterbury Group and Hyprop in the property investment company Atterbury Africa. Atterbury Africa focuses on developing regional shopping centres in sub-Saharan Africa.

Attacq has also increased its shareholding in MAS Real Estate Inc from 21% to 47.2% which is in line with consolidating its international interests in MAS.

“Attacq is very excited for an eventful 2014, when seven further developments will be completed in the Waterfall Business Estate,” says Wilken. “We will also complete the 75,000sqm Newtown Junction in Newtown, Johannesburg, and the 55,000sqm regional Mall of Namibia in Windhoek, both before the end of 2014.”