Linklaters advises Volkswagen AG and Porsche AG on Porsche AG’s IPO and the share purchase agreement with Porsche Automobil Holding SE

Linklaters has comprehensively advised Volkswagen AG and Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (Porsche AG) on Porsche AG’s IPO and the share purchase agreement with Porsche Automobil Holding SE.

In the context of the IPO, a total of 113,875,000 preferred shares (Vorzugsaktien) (including over-allotments (Mehrzuteilungen)) from the portfolio of Volkswagen AG were placed with investors. Volkswagen AG had set the placement price of the preferred shares of Porsche AG to be €82.50 per preferred share. The shares have been traded on the Regulated Market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 29 September 2022.

Furthermore, Volkswagen AG sold a shareholding of 25% plus one share of the ordinary share capital (Stammaktienkapital) in Porsche AG to Porsche Automobil Holding SE at the placement price of the preferred shares plus a premium of 7.5%.

A total volume of approx. €19.5 bn is generated from the placement of the preferred shares (with the greenshoe option being exercised) and the sale of the ordinary shares (Stammaktien) to Porsche Automobil Holding SE. An extraordinary general meeting of Volkswagen AG which will resolve to pay a special dividend of 49% of the total proceeds from the placement of the preferred shares and the sale of the ordinary shares to all shareholders is scheduled to be held in December 2022. Porsche AG’s IPO is the largest IPO carried out in Europe in terms of market capitalisation, being the arithmetic value of the preferred shares’ offer price and the ordinary shares’ corresponding value.

The Linklaters team advising was led by Dr Ralph Wollburg (Partner, Corporate/M&A, Düsseldorf), Achim Kirchfeld (Partner, Corporate/M&A, Düsseldorf), Dr Marco G. Carbonare (Partner, Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt), Dr Alexander Schlee (Partner, Capital Markets, Frankfurt), Carsten Rauch (Counsel, Capital Markets, Frankfurt), Dr Andreas Zenner (Managing Associate, Corporate/M&A, Düsseldorf) and Dr Julius Raapke (Managing Associate, Corporate/M&A, Düsseldorf).