TUI has launched a rights issue to raise up to €1.8bn. This will involve selling new shares at a 39.9% discount compared to the share price before the announcement. Eight new shares will be offered for every three shares held.
This is to repay loans given to the company by the German government during Covid. TUI had net debt of €3.4bn as at the end of September 2022, and proceeds from the new shares will be used to reduce interest costs and and lower net debt by €1.0bn.
The group said there's been a "continuation of its encouraging booking momentum which it reported at its Q1 results on 14 February 2023".
View the latest TUI share price and how to deal
Our view
The way rights issues work means it can trigger sharp market movements. That's why there's been a downwards move in TUI's valuation. But it's important to remember this is a technicality.
The proportion of your share in a company doesn't change if you take up your rights. Because all shareholders are offered new shares in proportion to their current investment, investors who take up all their rights end up with the same share of a bigger pie, rather than a bigger slice of the same pie.
All-in, we think the rights issue is a very positive move. Reducing debt and strengthening the balance sheet is good news for investors. (More on that later). While the debt pile's being addressed, it's important to consider the wider business before deciding what, if any, action you wish to take.
TUI has 1m more passengers than the same time a year ago. By anyone's estimations, that's good going. Bookings for Winter and Summer are improving as pent-up travel demand helps buoy revenues.
And TUI doesn't just run flights, it has a much wider package holiday business. In some ways that's what makes it more defensive - there' more to offer and plenty of cross selling opportunities. But maintaining pre-pandemic levels is also a much higher priority, the drains on cash when you have planes and huge hotels (not to mention cruise ships) to fill are enormous.
We're especially encouraged by TUI's ability to increase its prices. That shows how important travel is to customers, and the strength of the brand. We can't knock progress, but remain wary on some specific risks.
The most important thing to consider is higher-than-average liquidity risk. Debt levels are much higher than we'd like and are especially eye-watering when looked at as a proportion of profits. Immediate concerns have been alleviated, but continuing to get debt back under control is a priority, and means dividends are off the table for now.
A cost-of-living crisis means it's almost impossible to map demand accurately too. Sunny getaways are far from front of mind for much of the core demographic these days. Summer holidays tend to be booked at shorter notice, so only time will tell how well TUI manages to sell the rest of its summer programme.
TUI was concerned about over-capacity in the wider industry before the pandemic. This is an ongoing concern in our opinion, despite the challenges faced by the sector in the last couple of years. TUI doesn't appear to be trimming its own capacity in readiness for an economic contraction and instead relies on a hybrid approach of own and third-party operated flights, which reduces, but doesn't eliminate, the risk caused by an over-supplied and overly competitive industry.
The final thing to keep in mind is that TUI's largest shareholder is Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov. Mordashov has been sanctioned by the EU because of repercussions from the war in Ukraine. This isn't a flashing red indicator, but being reliant on a higher-risk individual as your biggest investor increases the risks of some ups and downs. It also invites questions from socially minded investors.
TUI faces challenges. There's the potential for TUI to do well in the future thanks to its more diverse offering and investors could be rewarded for their patience. But without a dividend to sugar-coat the extra risk involved, we struggle to get too excited as things stand.
This article is original Hargreaves Lansdown content, published by Hargreaves Lansdown. It was correct as at the date of publication, and our views may have changed since then. Unless otherwise stated estimates, including prospective yields, are a consensus of analyst forecasts provided by Refinitiv. These estimates are not a reliable indicator of future performance. Yields are variable and not guaranteed. Investments rise and fall in value so investors could make a loss.
This article is not advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any investment. No view is given on the present or future value or price of any investment, and investors should form their own view on any proposed investment. This article has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and is considered a marketing communication. Non-independent research is not subject to FCA rules prohibiting dealing ahead of research, however HL has put controls in place (including dealing restrictions, physical and information barriers) to manage potential conflicts of interest presented by such dealing. Please see our full non-independent research disclosure for more information.