European companies confront IPO risks as Renk cancels float

By Emma-Victoria Farr and Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro

FRANKFURT/LONDON (Reuters) -Buoyed by positive investor feedback and growing optimism around new stocks, German gearbox supplier Renk was on track to make its Frankfurt market debut in early October.

That was until this week, when the company decided to pull its listing in the final hours of Wednesday, blaming market conditions.

In the coming weeks, a string of European companies are slated to come to market.Among them is CVC Capital Partners, which is still planning a November listing depending on market conditions, a person with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The private equity group is planning to raise around 1 billion euros ($1.05 billion) through the share sale, the person added. The company declined to comment.

However, the fate of Renk highlights the challenges facing new issuers, exacerbated by a recent bout of volatility in equity and debt markets. Some recent large IPOs in the U.S. have had a mixed performance after an initial rally.

“It’s turbulent waters right now, so anything that’s not really well anchored by long-only investors is going to struggle,” said Andreas Bernstorff, head of Equity Capital Markets for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at BNP Paribas (OTC:).

Renk in a statement on Wednesday evening cited a “clouded” market environment for its decision to pull its planned listing, which sought a valuation of up to 1.8 billion euros.

In recent days Renk’s corporate peers including Hensoldt and Rheinmetall had been trading down and fell almost 2% in the run-up to its planned listing.

To be sure, some bankers were sceptical about whether Renk would draw a large following, given investors’ preference for large, liquid stocks and the fact it operates in a niche area of the defence industry.

The company has said it may go ahead with a listing at a later date.

“We received extremely positive feedback in our numerous discussions with investors … we will continue to concentrate fully on achieving our growth goals,” Renk CEO Susanne Wiegand said in a statement Thursday.

Renk’s IPO was set to follow hot on the heels of German medical glass producer Schott Pharma (ETR:), which last week saw its shares rise 16% on its first day of trading. On Thursday it was trading around its opening IPO price at 30 euros, still above its issue price, a positive sign.

These experiences so far show that investors are only willing to take bets on new companies if they are deemed to be “must-own” stocks or shares are offered at a significant discount, a European fund manager said.

Fuel payment card provider DKV Mobility – backed by CVC Capital Partners – is still considering whether to issue its intention to float in October despite market conditions, a person close to the deal said. The company declined to comment on its plans.

Meanwhile, French software provider Planisware has been sounding out investors for its intended listing on the Paris bourse and is still set to price next Wednesday.

Perfumery chain Douglas and long-distance bus operator Flix are considering IPOs in Germany next year. German shoe brand Birkenstock has chosen New York for its billion-dollar issue.

($1 = 0.9481 euros)