Australia’s FleetPartners gets $582 million bid as Sumitomo-led group joins race

In a competitive bidding war that began on August 26, a consortium led by Japan’s Sumitomo Corp has offered A$813.1 million, or $582.3 million, for Australia’s FleetPartners. This is the fourth bid for the vehicle leasing firm in a month, underscoring the company's value in Australia's fast-growing novated leasing business. Novated leasing allows employees to finance a car through their employer and potentially lower their income tax.

The Sumitomo-led consortium's offer is a 34% premium to FleetPartners' stock price on July 31, exceeding bids from ORIX and Element Fleet. The other international bidders are SG Fleet and Canada’s Element Fleet, all of which are among Australia’s largest vehicle leasing providers. Sumitomo Corp-Sumitomo Mitsui Auto Service's offer is A$3.85 per share in cash, while SG Fleet’s proposal stands at A$4.00 per share, which it raised two weeks ago after an initial bid was rejected.

Analysts expect the bidding process to increase beyond A$4.00 due to strategic synergies, reflecting continued interest from foreign investors and private equity firms in Australian-listed companies, particularly in the financial services sector. FleetPartners' shares have fallen nearly 1% following the latest bid, following a surge of nearly 50% over three weeks since SG Fleet's takeover approach on August 3.