UPDATE 2-CPP Investment Board says will not make new BCE bid
(Recasts)
By Frank Pingue
TORONTO, May 22 (Reuters) - Canada Pension Plan Investment Board said on Thursday it has no interest in making a renewed bid to take over BCE Inc (BCE.TO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) (BCE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) but does see smaller opportunities amid volatile market conditions.
A court ruling has threatened to derail the accepted takeover offer for BCE, Canada's biggest telecom company, but the CPP board said that decision has no impact as it abandoned plans to acquire BCE when its own bid was rejected last summer.
The board also said there is now no capability for mounting a leveraged buyout of the size necessary for BCE as market conditions make it harder to finance deals using debt.
"We put a lot of time and energy into our bid ... but that's a long time ago. At that point we redirected our attention elsewhere," David Denison, the board's chief executive, told Reuters. "That size of deal, whether it's BCE or any other company, that size of deal could not happen in today's markets."
The board's bid was rejected in favor of a C$34.8 billion ($35.2 billion) offer from a group of investors led by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. But that deal could fall apart after a Quebec court ruled on Wednesday in favor of debtholders who complained that the transaction was unfair to them.
Denison said the board has moved on from BCE and now sees opportunities popping up in infrastructure and real estate sectors around the world.
"We've got a real global focus on infrastructure and we see opportunities around the world, same on real estate," Denison said. "Real estate valuations have come off and we think that that's going to be potentially a good time for us as a long-term investor." Continued...
Ads by Career Builder
Digital Advertising - Manager
Details: ...Communications and High Tech/Media and Entertainment/Digital Advertisinga...Communications and High Tech operating group is...high technology, media and entertainment industries. Accenture's Consulting organization offers a...
Director, Business Development – East Region
Details: ...and marketing objectives of target verticals ( including Telecom, Financial Services, Retail, T&E, Technology and Media/Publishing) Report regularly on sales pipeline, forecasts...
Telecom Tech--Avaya
Details: Telecommunications Technician Summary: Telecommunications Technician demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge of maintaining and supporting multiple forms of telephone and related equipment. In addition to supporting their assigned buildings, Tele
Senior Research Analyst
Details: ...Bonnier titles with analyses and interpretation of syndicated media studies, and by contributing to presentations and sales proposals...




