Evergrande’s bid for A-share status likely to face tough regulatory scrutiny, analysts say
China Evergrande Group may have unveiled an ambitious plan to carry out a backdoor listing of its core property assets on the mainland Chinese stock market, but analysts said the move is likely to face major regulatory challenges.
The country’s second largest developer, listed in Hong Kong, said on Monday it will become the controlling shareholder of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Real Estate & Properties (Shenzhen Real Estate), after injecting its property unit into the state-owned developer in return for its shares in Shenzhen.Shares of Evergrande surged 8.2 per cent in Hong Kong on Tuesday, hitting a one-month high.
Although the stock reacted positively, analysts remain sceptical over whether the deal would be approved by regulators in Hong Kong and mainland China.
The Hong Kong stock exchange might not allow Evergrande to leave its holding company listed in Hong Kong without any substantial business, JPMorgan analysts led by Ryan Li said in a note.
“According to listing rules, an issuer shall carry out a sufficient level of operations,” wrote Li, who maintains an “underweight” rating on the company.
