Unilever shares: moving headquarters to Rotterdam

Apodemus

My documents from Unilever arrived yesterday, with the voting forms for the Court and EGM meetings.

I’m fairly relaxed about the changes and trust the Board to take decisions that are in the long-term interests of the company and the shareholders. Even if I wasn’t, I’m not sure that the views of individual small-scale shareholders would ever add up to sufficient voting clout to sway the outcome!

thrifty_pete

Apodemus wrote: »

Even if I wasn’t, I’m not sure that the views of individual small-scale shareholders would ever add up to sufficient voting clout to sway the outcome!

I live in Parliamentary constituency where they only need to weigh the voting papers to see who has won, the incumbent has held the seat for over 30 years. I still vote though.
For Unilever they need to get a 75% vote so it is not impossible it won't go the way the board want.

Alexland

thrifty_pete wrote: »

For Unilever they need to get a 75% vote so it is not impossible it won't go the way the board want.

..and with the latest news they have dropped the plan it's a time to be proud of our UK institutional shareholders for acting in the national interest.

Alex

thrifty_pete

I think institutional investors were going to vote in their own interests rather than the national interest! It was effectively a takeover by the Dutch company of the British one. Usually with a takeover you receive a price for your shares above the market price. Many institutional shareholders would be forced sellers if they were only permitted to hold FTSE100 stocks. So a lose-lose situation. The share price seems to still be depressed despite the news. Might be a buying opportunity.

dividendhero

Alexland wrote: »

..and with the latest news they have dropped the plan it's a time to be proud of our UK institutional shareholders for acting in the national interest.

Alex

Institutional investors have absolutely no requirement to act in the national interest, nor should they - would you be happy if your pension was devalued due to someone else's perception of the national interest?

In this case institutions didn't want to be forced sellers of Unilever. I suspect this is only delaying of the inevitable - I have friends working at Unilever(UK), they say the direction of travel in the company is to reduce it's UK presence