Cellnex says European towers M&A is ‘over’ because it seeks to rein in debt

Spanish masts firm Cellnex stated that the European towers market is now “just about closed”, as hovering inflation makes it more and more tough to finance new offers and the supply of belongings dwindles.

“M&A exercise is over,” stated Tobías Martínez Gimeno, who has been chief govt of Cellnex since 2014, and has led the corporate by an acquisition spree that has constructed it into the most important tower group in Europe. “Materials, inorganic development, for the subsequent 24 months, is over.”

Cellnex stated final week that it was in search of to enhance its credit standing to funding grade from company S&P, which is able to imply lowering its leverage from eight occasions earnings earlier than curiosity, tax, depreciation and amortisation to under 7 occasions.

When rates of interest had been low and debt was low-cost, cell towers — the steel constructions on which radio antennas sit — had been a few of the most tasty and priceless belongings in telecoms, providing profitable returns in an more and more linked world.

However since June, the share worth of most towers teams has tumbled as quickly rising rates of interest drove up the price of capital for these closely indebted companies.

Damaging rates of interest over the previous few years meant that “cash was virtually free”, Gimeno stated, permitting Cellnex to grab up 130,000 towers throughout 12 European nations.

However now “we now have to face and beat inflation”, he stated. “Inflation is the worst factor for everybody — people, societies, firms. It’s damaging the entire economic system, and nobody is escaping.”

Despite being probably the most acquisitive teams in European telecoms, Cellnex was not concerned in main latest offers involving towers belongings, when two of the most important European operators offered stakes of their masts to personal fairness teams that had been capable of supply enticing valuations.

In July, Deutsche Telekom agreed to promote a majority stake in its towers enterprise to Brookfield Asset Administration and personal fairness group DigitalBridge Group, valuing the enterprise at €17.5bn, or 27 occasions ebitda.

And earlier this month, Vodafone agreed to promote as much as 50 per cent of its masts enterprise to KKR and World Infrastructure Companions, bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund, which valued the corporate at €16.2bn, or 26 occasions ebitda.

Gimeno stated he was sceptical concerning the enterprise mannequin being adopted by personal fairness teams which have begun buying towers in seek for regular, dependable returns.

“It doesn’t work, the marketing strategy,” he stated, including that when they’re shopping for at round 26 or 27 occasions ebitda now, they may battle to promote the belongings at a premium in 5 to seven years time.

“PowerPoint, Excel — they are often very artistic,” he stated, however “you need to ship ultimately, and the examination will come”.

“This trade is about capex, it’s about investing, it’s not about operating the corporate and doing nothing,” he added.

Over the subsequent two-year interval, Cellnex will focus its consideration on lowering debt and limiting capital expenditure, amongst different issues.

Although the group has no debt on account of mature till 2024, it stated acquiring an funding grade ranking would be sure that its bonds commerce at a decrease yield.

Two weeks in the past, Cellnex’s bonds had been buying and selling at 6 per cent, whereas bonds of funding grade firms had been buying and selling at 4 per cent, Gimeno stated, which suggests the corporate could possibly be paying round €80mn to €90mn extra per yr.

Cellnex’s internet debt rose to €17.1bn from €14.3bn in June due largely to the acquisition of CK Hutchison’s European towers, which closed within the UK this month.