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LONDON (Alliance News) - London Stock Exchange Group PLC on Friday boosted its majority holding in clearing house LCH Group Holdings Ltd by a further 15%.
The FTSE 100-listed stock exchange operator will be paying up to a maximum of EUR438 million to take its stake to 80% - the deal will be funded from existing cash and debt.
The deal is expected to close before the end of 2018. LSEG said the acquisition signals its "continued confidence" in LCH's "opportunities for further growth".
LCH will retain 14 minority shareholders. These include Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays PLC, JP Morgan Chase & Co, Morgan Stanley, and Societe Generale SA.
Commerzbank AG, Deutsche Bank AG, Nomura Holdings Inc, and Nasdaq are among the companies selling their entire stakes in LCH to LSEG.
LCH's third quarter revenue increased 5.3% to GBP120 million from GBP114 million, and it posted a 12% increase in gross profit to GBP135 million from GBP121 million.
Within LCH, Over-The-Counter clearing revenue increased 10% to GBP65 million.
For the three months ended September, LSEG reported a 7.4% increase in total income to GBP522 million from GBP486 million in the same period a year ago.
The company's total revenue, which excludes income from the company's central counterparty business, increased 4.7% to GBP464 million from GBP443 million.
LSEG's third-quarter gross profit increased 8.1% year-on-year to GBP465 million from GBP430 million.
"The third quarter results show continued momentum across the group, reflecting another period of operational execution and investment in the business. Information Services and LCH both delivered good year on year growth,"said David Schwimmer, chief executive officer.
For the nine months ended September, the bourse operator's total income is up 10% to GBP1.58 billion from GBP1.43 billion the previous year.
Gross profit is also up over the first three quarters, rising 12% to GBP1.42 billion from the GBP1.27 billion recorded last year.
The company's Information Services, which includes FTSE Russell indices, increased its revenue 17% to GBP212 million from GBP182 million.
The division's gross profit increased 17% to GBP195 million from GBP167 million.
Within the division, the FTSE Russell Indexes increased its revenue by 20% to GBP162 million from GBP135 million.
Schwimmer added: "Since I joined LSEG in August my initial impressions of the group's strengths have been reinforced as I have spent time with our businesses and met with key stakeholders. The group has world-class assets, a strong financial position and a proven strategic approach.
"As today's results show, we have a great platform from which to grow and develop further opportunities as we navigate the evolving economic and regulatory landscape ahead."
In Post Trade Services Italian services - CC&G and Monte Titoli - total income decreased 2.7% in the third quarter to GBP36 million from GBP37 million.
CC&G and Monte Titoli's gross profit increased, however, to GBP34 million from GBP33 million on the cost of sales decreasing to GBP2 million from GBP4 million.
LSEG's Capital Markets division posted a 8.2% decrease in third quarter revenue to GBP89 million from GBP97 million. The division's gross profit decreased to GBP85 million from GBP93 million.
The decrease was due to the FTSE 100-listed company adopting a new accounting standard, IFRS 15, which resulted in a GBP9 million charge on revenue.
The division - using MTS - opened, with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, South Africa's first electronic government bonds trading platform.
At the end of the quarter the company had available committed facility headroom of about GBP500 million.
LSEG's credit rating are unchanged since the beginning of the quarter, with S&P maintaining a positive outlook on it's A- long term rating of LSEG and its A+ long term rating of LCH. Moody's rating remains at long term A3 with a stable outlook.
LSEG and the National Stock Exchange of India signed a memorandum of understanding in the quarter to create a dual listing for Masala bonds - bonds issued outside India but denominated in Indian rupees - and an agreement to look at launching the company's Elite service in India.
Shares in London Stock Exchange were up 0.6% Friday at 4,334.00 pence each.
