KARACHI, Aug 04 (APP):A gong ceremony to mark the first listing of the year 2020 of The Organic Meat Company Limited (TOMCL) was held at Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).
The gong striking event was attended by the COO of PSX – Nadir Rahman, CEO of The Organic Meat Company Limited – Faisal Hussain, CEO of Topline Securities (Joint Consultant to the Issue) – Mohammad Sohail, CEO of Intermarket Securities Ltd. (Joint Consultant to the Issue) – Wajid Hussain, CEO of AKD Securities Ltd. (Book Runner to the Issue) – Farid Alam, along with senior management and team members of these organisations.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Executive Officer TOMCL, Faisal Hussain said the Company has successfully listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange on August 3rd, 2020, after its Initial Public Offering (IPO) on July 14-16, 2020, was oversubscribed by 1.6 times. It is a significant and positive development for the capital market of Pakistan whereby a listing has taken place successfully in the challenging times of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Organic Meat Company is involved in exporting and processing of halal beef and mutton, he said.
Faisal Hussain further said, “It’s an honor and a privilege to get listed at PSX. Moreover, raising equity capital during the pandemic will help us materialize our expansion plans and we will do our best to continue on the growth path and give investors a healthy return. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire investor community for the confidence they have shown in us”.
In the larger interest and safety of the public and to avoid large gatherings, the gong ceremony was streamed across all media channels virtually.
The Public Offering of TOMCL has been a success story not only for the Company itself but also for the Stock Exchange and the capital market of Pakistan, he said adding it is the first issue for the fiscal year 2020-21 and it attracted tremendous response from investors and other market participants. This reflects very well on the overall dynamism and strength of the capital market of the country.
The Company was to raise Rs 720 Mn through the IPO by issuing 40,000,000 ordinary shares. The book-building process took place with a floor price of Rs 18/- per share (including a premium of Rs 8/- per share) with a maximum price band of up to 40% or Rs 25.20 per share.
In the book building process, however, bids of close to Rs 1.4 bln were received from qualified investors while the strike price was set at Rs 20 per share. The issue was oversubscribed by 1.7 times with bids for 68.1 Mn shares received for the 40 Mn shares on offer in the book building. The bidding took place with participation by leading local and foreign investors.
The issue offered to retail investors resulted in total applications for 15.79 Mn shares amounting to Rs 315.835 Mn being received from the general public. It is a significant occurrence that more than 60% applications for the allotment of shares by the general public were received through the EIPO system of the Central Depository Company. The results from the book building and the general public subscription showed that the IPO was a resounding success for the company.
The IPO took place through the implementation of the amended regulations of the Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) for Public Offerings by companies. Amendments were made in the Public Offering Regulations, 2017 by the SECP whereby the eligibility criteria for the listing of companies was simplified, and the IPO process was made easier to attract new listings.
Farrukh H Khan, CEO of PSX said, “We are very happy to welcome The Organic Meat Company Limited, after its successful public subscription, as the first company in the fiscal year 2020-21 to be listed on the Stock Exchange”. Khan further stated, “The success of this IPO proves the strength and resilience of Pakistan’s capital market despite the challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent impact on the economy as a whole”.
Mohammad Sohail, CEO of Topline Securities – Consultant to the Issue, said, “The Organic Meat offering got an excellent response in a challenging time. This proves that investor demand is always there in Pakistan for quality management and good corporate governance”.
Omar Salah Ahmed, Head of Corporate Finance & Advisory at Topline Securities stated, “It’s exciting to see that during the pandemic, our investors have demonstrated a great interest in a phenomenal growth story. The entrepreneurial background and mindset of the TOMCL sponsors, Faisal Hussain and Mr. Ali Hussain, addressing the issues of the industry and translating into strong financial success has created investor confidence in this offering”.
Wajid Hussain, CEO of Intermarket Securities Limited – Consultant to the Issue – on this occasion, said “We are very pleased with the success of TOMCL’s initial Public Offering. The investors’ participation through online IPO facility was also very encouraging and helped overcome challenges posed by the pandemic”. He further stated, “It is a matter of pride for us to play our part in reviving the IPO market in Pakistan, and hope this will encourage more companies to seek listing”.
Farid Alam, CEO of AKD Securities Ltd., speaking on the successful completion of the IPO, stated, “TOMCL – one of the largest meat exporters of Pakistan revitalizes interest in the food sector through its Initial Public Offering at PSX. This will go a long way in reviving and generating response in the listing vertical – being the first IPO after a gap of over a year. The issue received positive response from both foreign and domestic financial institutions including High Net-Worth Individuals”.
Ali Hussain, COO of The Organic Meat Company Limited, upon listing of the company, said, “Listing at PSX has been a great learning process and we would continue to strive to take the Pakistani meat products across the globe and show investors that we are thankful for their support through improved returns”.
