SINGAPORE – Singapore-listed Hongkong Land will sell 147,025 square feet (sq ft) of One Exchange Square to Hong Kong’s stock exchange operator for HK$6.3 billion (S$1.1 billion) and launch a share buyback programme.
Proceeds from the sale, alongside other capital recycling activities executed during the fiscal year ended December 2024, will finance a US$200 million (S$262 million) share buyback programme through which the group said it will return capital to shareholders.
The buyback programme aims to reduce the group’s share capital and the repurchased shares will be cancelled, said the group in a bourse filing on April 24. The programme will extend through to Dec 31, 2025.
Shares of Hongkong Land jumped 9.2 per cent to US$4.61 as at 11.23am on April 25, after the announcement.
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) has agreed to buy the top nine floors, or levels 42 to 50, of One Exchange Square, and make the space its permanent headquarters in the city.
It will also purchase the retail space on the first and second floors of the property, and transform it into an entrance lobby for HKEX which provides direct connectivity to the Connect Hall and the top floors of the building.
Separately, HKEX will also enter into a new long-term lease for some 63,000 lettable sq ft of Two Exchange Square that it currently occupies. This, together with its acquisition of space in One Exchange Square, raises its total footprint in Exchange Square.
The acquisitions will be made in phases and the sum of HK$6.3 billion will be paid over time as individual floors are transferred to HKEX. The group will continue to earn rental income from individual floor spaces up for sale until they are sold.
Around 45 per cent of gross sale proceeds are set to be received by Hongkong Land in 2025, and the balance will be paid in 2026.
Hongkong Land will contribute up to HK$400 million towards planned enhancements to the property, and the costs are expected to be incurred over the next few years.
The purchase price of the property was determined after negotiations between parties involved, said Hongkong Land.
Net sale proceeds reflect the property’s carrying value as at Dec 31, 2024, which was derived from a market valuation by an independent valuation firm.
The transaction is expected to be earnings accretive and the majority of the proceeds will be used to reduce debt and lower net financing costs. THE BUSINESS TIMES
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