S.Africa's Eqstra Holdings debuts on the JSE

JOHANNESBURG, May 12 (Reuters) South African leasing and equipment group Eqstra Holdings (EQSJ.J: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), an offshoot of Imperial Holdings (IPLJ.J: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), listed on the JSE on Monday.

Its shares opened at 17.99 rand, valuing the company in excess of 5 billion rand ($648 million), the company said.

"We are confident that the company has got solid fundamentals ... with a long track record. We believe there is good value in the share," Walter Hill, chief executive of Eqstra Holdings, told Reuters. (Reporting by Gugulakhe Lourie; Editing by Quentin Bryar)