BROOKFIELD, NEWS--(Marketwired - May 19, 2017) - Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (NYSE:BAM)(TSX:BAM.A)(EURONEXT AMSTERDAM:BAMA) ("Brookfield") today announced it has received approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") for its proposed normal course issuer bid to purchase up to 82,965,721 Class A Limited Voting Shares ("Class A Shares"), representing 10% of the public float of Brookfield's outstanding Class A Shares. Purchases under the bid will be made through the facilities of the TSX, the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") and any alternative Canadian trading system. The period of the normal course issuer bid will extend from May 24, 2017 to May 23, 2018, or an earlier date should Brookfield complete its purchases. Brookfield will pay the market price at the time of acquisition for any Class A Shares purchased. All Class A Shares acquired by Brookfield under this bid will be cancelled and/or purchased by a non-independent trustee pursuant to a long-term incentive plan.
As at May 9, 2017, the number of Class A Shares issued and outstanding totalled 988,518,421, of which 829,657,215 shares represented the public float. In accordance with the rules of the TSX, the maximum daily purchase on the TSX under this bid will be 247,466 Class A Shares, which is 25% of 989,865 (the average daily trading volume for Class A Shares on the TSX for the six months ended April 30, 2017).
Under its prior normal course issuer bid that commenced on May 24, 2016 and expires on May 23, 2017, Brookfield purchased 2,708,991 Class A Shares through open market purchases on the NYSE. The weighted average price that Brookfield paid per Class A Share acquired under this bid was US$34.72.
Brookfield is renewing its normal course issuer bid because it believes that, from time to time, the market price of its Class A Shares may not fully reflect the underlying value of its business and its future business prospects. Brookfield believes that, in such circumstances, the outstanding Class A Shares represent an attractive investment for Brookfield, since a portion of its excess cash generated on an annual basis can be invested for an attractive risk adjusted return through the issuer bid.
Brookfield will enter into an automatic purchase plan on or about the week of June 26, 2017 in relation to the normal course issuer bid. The automatic purchase plan will allow for the purchase of Class A Shares, subject to certain trading parameters, at times when Brookfield ordinarily would not be active in the market due to its own internal trading black-out period, insider trading rules or otherwise. Outside of these periods, Class A Shares will be repurchased in accordance with management's discretion and in compliance with applicable law.
Brookfield Asset Management
Brookfield Asset Management Inc. is a global alternative asset manager with approximately US$250 billion in assets under management. The Company has more than a 100-year history of owning and operating assets with a focus on property, renewable power, infrastructure and private equity. Brookfield offers a range of public and private investment products and services, and is co-listed on the New York, Toronto and Euronext stock exchanges under the symbol BAM, BAM.A and BAMA, respectively.
For more information, please visit our website at www.brookfield.com .
Forward-Looking Statements
Note: This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian provincial securities laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and in any applicable Canadian securities regulations. The word "will" and derivations thereof and other expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events, trends or prospects and which do not relate to historical matters identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements with respect to the offering, the use of proceeds from the offering and the expected closing date of the offering described in this news release. Although Brookfield believes that such forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information as such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and information.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by forward-looking statements include: economic and financial conditions in the countries in which we do business; the behaviour of financial markets, including fluctuations in interest and exchange rates; availability of equity and debt financing; and other risks and factors in the prospectus and as detailed from time to time in the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as other documents filed by the Company with the securities regulators in Canada and the United States.
We caution that the foregoing list of important factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on our forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to Brookfield, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether written or oral, that may be as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
