A second earnings downgrade in two weeks from Australian wealth management software vendor Bravura Solutions could derail a planned takeover by private equity firm Ironbridge Capital.
After originally forecasting full-year results of AUD$26 million to AUD$29 million, the firm revised downward on June 16 to between AUD$22.5 million and AUD$26.5 million. Yesterday in a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange, this was again lowered to AUD$19 million to AUD$20 million.
Under the terms of the takeover proposal from Ironbridge, a AUD$272 million all-cash offer valuing Bravura at AUD$1.73 per share that it reiterated last week, Bravura would have to to deliver consolidated earnings before tax, interested, depreciation and amortisation of at least AUD$23.5 million.
Having failed to meet this target due to several ongoing sales negotiations not closing before the end of the month, Bravura said in a statement that further discussions with Ironbridge will take place over the next few weeks and that Ironbridge still "remains positive about the transaction generally."
In a separate statement, Bravura announced one of the deals it had managed to close before month-end. The UK's Legal & General have extended a contract to continue with Bravura Solutions' Rufus Global Transfer Agency (GTA) and Output Management Service until the end of 2011. The business relationship commenced in 1997.