Pursuits

Billionaire Wang Wins Glass Lewis Backing for Wanda Buyout

  • Glass Lewis says $4.4 billion buyout is ‘fair and reasonable’
  • Wanda Commercial shareholder meeting to be held on Aug. 15

Wang Jianlin.

Photographer: Justin Chin/Bloomberg
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Billionaire Wang Jianlin’s $4.4 billion plan to buy out his Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co. unit drew support from influential proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis & Co., increasing the likelihood that investors will approve Hong Kong’s biggest-ever privatization deal next month.

“The financial terms of the offer are ultimately fair and reasonable for independent shareholders," Glass Lewis said in a report seen by Bloomberg. The HK$52.80-a-share bid is the best option for minority public shareholders amid the challenging conditions in the Chinese economy and property market, according to the report.