Evotec SE (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, MDAX/TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809) today announced that it resolved a capital increase from its authorised capital without pre-emptive rights against cash. Evotec will issue a total of 11,478,298 new shares to Mubadala Investment Company and Novo Holdings A/S, increasing Evotec’s cash reserves by € 250 million in total.
In this private placement capital increase, Mubadala Investment Company, a sovereign investor with an entrepreneurial mind-set and a long-standing history of strategic investments in the healthcare sector, will invest € 200 million to subscribe for approx.5.6 % of outstanding Evotec shares. Evotec’s existing shareholder Novo Holdings A/S also will invest € 50 million to support Evotec’s accelerated growth ambition and to reinforce its ownership in the company of approx. 11.0% of outstanding shares. The shares will be issued at a price of € 21.7802 per share, which represents a 2.5% discount to the five-day volume weighted average price (“VWAP”) of € 22.3387prior to the Xetra closing auction on 12th October 2020. After the registration of the capital increase in the commercial register, Evotec’s share capital will increase to € 163,375,791, or 163,375,791 ordinary bearer shares.
Evotec has developed a unique strategy to become the global leading platform company for the modality-agnostic development of innovative first-in-class and best-in-class therapeutic approaches resulting in a large co-owned pipeline. Evotec has continuously
expanded its operations internationally with more than 3,400 employees at 14 global sites in Germany, USA, France, Italy, UK, and Austria. By leveraging its proprietary platforms within a comprehensive network of high-value partnerships, Evotec aims to improve global access to more precise and effective medicines. Future investments will accelerate Evotec’s underlying business strategy and enable the company’s next strategic growth phase.
The company is evaluating – inter alia – investment opportunities such as:
- Acceleration of the company’s global infrastructure built-up strategy in biologics (e.g. second J.Pod), and investments in prediction technologies for biologics
- Investments in novel cell & gene therapies in multiple indications
- Investments in greater access to patient derived material and data for precision medicine processes in drug discovery and drug development
- Investments in the company’s proprietary technology platforms, such as iPSC and machine learning technology
- Expansion of footprint in the United States and Europe
- Acceleration of the company’s translational strategy from academia to industry (BRIDGES) and the company’s equity participation strategy for highly innovative assets
Dr Werner Lanthaler, Chief Executive Officer of Evotec, commented: “We welcome Mubadala to our group of strategic investors. There is no reason for us to slow down our mission in spite of the ongoing pandemic. We can and want to grow even faster and see a lot of positive momentum in our business strategy. We are delighted that Mubadala has chosen to invest in Evotec with a long-term view. Also, we are pleased to see that Novo Holdings A/S continues to support our strategy. This investment allows us to further accelerate our strategy to create the world-leading “R&D Autobahn to Cures” from discovery to commercial manufacturing.”
Enno Spillner, Chief Financial Officer of Evotec, added:“With this commitment by existing and new investors, our liquidity reserves will total more than € 500 m. Thus this placement will generate a net cash position of more than € 150 m (excluding IFRS 16) with Evotec’s net-debt leverage turning negative (excluding IFRS 16). Our equity ratio will strengthen to above 50 %. While maintaining our business outlook for 2020, the very positive impact of this transaction on our balance sheet structure will increase our flexibility and makes us even better prepared for our accelerated global expansion steps.”
Camilla MacapiliLanguille, Head of Pharma &Medtech at Mubadala Investment Company, commented: “We are excited to partner with Evotec, who we see as one of the global pioneers for drug discovery innovation. We have been impressed by the quality and depth of Evotec’s management team, the company’s distinctive business model, their proprietary technological platforms and the unique role they play in the rapidly growing universe of pharmaceutical & biotech R&D – an area whose importance is acutely highlighted in the current environment. We will work with the company and its shareholders to support Evotec’s strategic growth both through this investment and our extensive institutional network.”
Anders BendsenSpohr, Senior PartnerPrincipal Investments at Novo Holdings, commented: “As a longtime investor in Evotec, we are very proud of the company’s accomplishments to date. We are strong believers in Evotec’s business model and modality-agnostic approach to drug discovery, and look forward to continue to support the company in its next strategic growth phase through this additional capital commitment and our broad life science network.”
