Hytera gets one-week extension to continue acquisition talks for Sepura

British regulators have granted China-based Hytera Communications at least one additional week—until next Friday, Dec. 9—to announce whether it will make an offer to buy United Kingdom (UK)-based LMR manufacturer Sepura, according to a Sepura statement filed yesterday.

The UK’s Panel on Takeovers and Mergers originally established a deadline of Dec. 2—tomorrow—for Hytera to announce its intention to make a bid for Sepura or that it would abandon its pursuit of Sepura, which specializes in TETRA and DMR solutions. Yesterday’s announcement extends that deadline by a week, although regulators could extend the timeline yet again, according to the Sepura statement.

“Positive discussions are continuing between the Company [Sepura] and Hytera, but there can be no certainty that any offer will be forthcoming,” according to the Sepura statement. “The Board of Sepura has requested that the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers (the ‘Panel’) extend the PUSU deadline. In light of this request, an extension has been granted by the Panel and … Hytera is required, by not later than 5.00 p.m. on 9 December 2016, either to announce a firm intention to make an offer … or to announce that they do not intend to make an offer.

“This deadline may be extended, with the consent of the Takeover Panel.”

On Nov. 4, Sepura announced that the company is in “preliminary talks with Hytera Communications … regarding a possible offer for the entire issued and to be issued share of [Sepura].” The announcement also disclosed the type of deal that a Hytera bid likely would be solely in cash. Hytera also issued a statement at the time noting that a Sepura deal would be subject to regulatory approvals that “involve significant uncertainties.”

If a deal is done, it would mark the second time in as many years that Sepura has been involved in a significant transaction, as Sepura acquired Teltronic—a company that does business in the United States under the PowerTrunk brand—for $139.6 million in a deal completed in May 2015.

Despite this, Sepura has struggled this year, as its stock price dropped by 90% amid multiple profit warnings, much of which company officials attributed to key contracts being delayed by customers for budgetary reasons. Sepura’s stock price has increased noticeably since the market became aware of the potential Hytera bid, putting the company’s market cap at about $100 million.

PowerTrunk has won multiple contracts to build TETRA systems in the United States and Canada. The company also was announced recently as a key partner for Potomac Spectrum Partners, which plans to deploy and operate vast TETRA systems that leverage Space Data balloons to provide expansive coverage and TASSTA’s interoperability solution to enable non-TETRA users to leverage the networks.