NCIB and Melcor REITHi folks,
I have a question that I am hoping someone here knows the answer to.
Is Melcor Development allowed to purchase shares in Melcor REIT in the open market and if so, what are the legal restrictions on doing this?
Perhaps Melcor would consider maximizing the NCIB for Melcor Development and simultaneously setting aside funds to continuously buy down the externally held share block of Melcor REIT.
Looking forward to any guidance someone can provide regarding the potential restrictions around this.
My view is that the company needs to make some strategic moves that unlocks the value of Melcor. The NCIB has been nice but the share price has gone exactly nowhere in the last 15 years. If the Board's job is to maximize shareholder value (as measured by the share price plus cash distributions), then they need to focus more on this aspect of the business.
Doug, Bruce, and Janet are all reasonably new to the Board as Independents and both Ralph and Janet are well into the 9th inning with their time as Melcor Board members.
My recommendation would be to run an SIB at $15 and see what the Tender results are. The company has bought back shares into the $14 range back through the NCIB so it's not like they think its overvalued at a $15 (with a book value of $39.50+!).
Perhaps the other alternative the Melton's should also consider is selling the whole company at any price around Book Value. Tim and Andrew aren't getting any younger!
There is a lot of value that created by Management that hasn't translated to the share price. The Board must step up and help convert the book value to share price.
LR