Notice of Proposed Settlement and Plan of Allocation Involving Purchasers of Perrigo Common Stock from April 21, 2015 through May 2, 2017 and Owners of Perrigo Common Stock as of November 12, 2015

SEATTLE, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY

ROOFER’S PENSION FUND, on behalf of
itself and all others similarly situated,

                        Plaintiff,

        v.

JOSEPH C. PAPA, et al.,

                        Defendants.

 

Case No. 1:16–cv–02805–RMB–LDW

CLASS ACTION

SUMMARY NOTICE OF (I) PROPOSED SETTLEMENT
AND PLAN OF ALLOCATION; (II) SETTLEMENT HEARING; AND
(III) MOTION FOR ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND LITIGATION EXPENSES

To:

(1) All persons who purchased Perrigo Company plc’s (“Perrigo”) publicly traded common stock between April 21, 2015 and May 2, 2017, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”), on the New York Stock Exchange or any other trading center within the United States and were damaged thereby;

(2) All persons who purchased Perrigo’s publicly traded common stock between April 21, 2015 and May 2, 2017, both dates inclusive, on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and were damaged thereby; and

(3) All persons who owned Perrigo common stock as of November 12, 2015 and held such stock through at least 8:00 a.m. on November 13, 2015 (whether or not a person tendered their shares in response to the tender offer of Mylan, N.V”).1

PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY; YOUR RIGHTS WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE SETTLEMENT OF A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT PENDING IN THIS COURT.

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED, pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and an Order of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, that the Court–appointed Lead Plaintiff, on behalf of itself and the Court–certified Class, in the above–captioned securities class action (the “Action”) has reached a proposed settlement of the Action with defendants Perrigo Company plc (“Perrigo”) and Joseph C. Papa (collectively, “Defendants”) for $97,000,000 in cash that, if approved, will resolve all claims in the Action.

A hearing will be held on September 5, 2024 at 10:00 a.m., before the Honorable Leda Dunn Wettre, United States Magistrate Judge, in person in Courtroom 3C of the Martin Luther King Building & U.S. Courthouse, 50 Walnut Street, Newark, NJ 07101, to determine: (i) whether the proposed Settlement should be approved as fair, reasonable, and adequate; (ii) whether the Action should be dismissed with prejudice against Defendants, and the releases specified and described in the Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement dated April 4, 2024 should be granted; (iii) whether the proposed Plan of Allocation should be approved as fair and reasonable; and (iv) whether Lead Counsel’s application for an award of attorneys’ fees and payment of expenses should be approved.

If you are a member of the Class, your rights will be affected by the pending Action and the Settlement, and you may be entitled to share in the Net Settlement Fund. If you have not yet received the full printed Notice of (I) Proposed Settlement and Plan of Allocation; (II) Settlement Hearing; and (III) Motion for Attorneys’ Fees and Litigation Expenses (the “Settlement Notice”) and the Claim Form, you may obtain copies of these documents by contacting the Claims Administrator at Perrigo Securities Litigation, c/o JND Legal Administration, P.O. Box 91374, Seattle, WA 98111, 1–833–674–0175, info@PerrigoSecuritiesLitigation.com. Copies of the Settlement Notice and Claim Form can also be downloaded from the website for the Action, www.PerrigoSecuritiesLitigation.com.

If you are a Class Member, in order to be eligible to receive a payment under the proposed Settlement, you must submit a Claim Form online or postmarked no later than August 26, 2024. If you are a Class Member and do not submit a proper Claim Form, you will not be eligible to share in the distribution of the net proceeds of the Settlement but you will nevertheless be bound by any judgments or orders entered by the Court in the Action.

Any objections to the proposed Settlement, the proposed Plan of Allocation, and/or Lead Counsel’s application for attorneys’ fees and payment of expenses, must be filed with the Court and delivered to Lead Counsel and counsel for Defendants such that they are received no later than August 6, 2024, in accordance with the instructions set forth in the Settlement Notice.

Please do not contact the Court, the Clerk’s office, Perrigo, any other Defendant in the Action, or their counsel regarding this notice. All questions about this notice, the proposed Settlement, or your eligibility to participate in the Settlement should be directed the Claims Administrator or Lead Counsel.

Requests for the Settlement Notice and Claim Form should be made to:

Perrigo Securities Litigation
c/o JND Legal Administration
P.O. Box 91374
Seattle, WA 98111
1–833–674–0175
info@PerrigoSecuritiesLitigation.com
www.PerrigoSecuritiesLitigation.com

Inquiries, other than requests for the Settlement Notice and Claim Form, may be made to Lead Counsel:

Pomerantz LLP
Joshua Silverman
10 S. LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60603
1–312–377–1181
jbsilverman@pomlaw.com

Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP
James A. Harrod
1251 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
1–800–380–8496
settlements@blbglaw.com

By Order of the Court

____________________________     

1 Certain persons and entities are excluded from the Class by definition and others are excluded pursuant to request. The full definition of the Class including a complete description of who is excluded from the Class is set forth in the full Settlement Notice referred to above.


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 9112002)

Ittihad announces Full Year 2023 Financial Results

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ittihad International Investment LLC (Ittihad), the leading industrial conglomerate in the UAE, today announces its Full Year 2023 Financial Results.

Financial Highlights

  • Group Revenue of $2.8 billion (AED10.4 billion)
  • Group Adjusted EBITDA* of $138.7 million (AED509.6 million)
  • Successfully launched a 5NC2 debut Sukuk, raising $350 million
  • Continued focus on deleveraging the business, with gross debt leverage of 5.3x at year end (down from 6.0x as of December 31, 2022), and adjusted net leverage* stood at 3.4x in 2023, down from 3.5x in 2022
    • Debt repayments for the year amounted to $119 million (AED436.6 million)
  • Strong balance sheet continues to provide capital allocation optionality
    • Net cash and cash equivalents of $153 million, with readily marketable inventories (RMI) of $107 million as at year end
    • $50 million of restricted cash was released in December 2023, with proceeds used to pay down working capital facilities
    • Ittihad is well–placed to continue to capitalise on a pipeline of strategic M&A opportunities to compound growth
  • Arranged $88 million of term loan and Export Credit Agency (ECA ) backed term financing for the tissue mill expansion project in Saudi Arabia. The facility is unsecured with a maturity of 12 years door–to–door

Operational Highlights

  • Infrastructure and Building Materials Manufacturing (IBMM): strong margin growth as a result of positive pricing performance and a significant shift in demand driven by the energy transition and long–term investments in infrastructure and real estate development across the region.
  • Consumer Goods Manufacturing (CGM): margin compression in the segment in the second and third quarter of the year due to destocking and a rapid correction in both raw material and finished goods prices.
  • Construction commenced on the new tissue mill in Saudi Arabia, a project that will ensure a more competitive logistics costs and improved price margins in the country.
  • Metropolic Paper Industries (MPI) became the main tissue supplier for Carrefour, a leading retail brand in the UAE.
  • Business Services: Double digit growth in EBITDA achieved across the waste collection, city cleaning, and sewage network services. Ittihad successfully penetrated a niche market in this segment by introducing robotic camera technology solution for sewage network inspection and repair, seeing strong levels of demand in the local market. Ittihad is well–placed to take advantage of potential opportunities for regional expansion with this technology.
  • The acquisition and expansion of a waste collection and city cleaning company in Saudi Arabia, effectively scaling up operations with new long–term projects valued at $40 million.

Outlook

  • Organic growth and sustainability will remain the primary focus over the next five years.
  • Plans to further expand into Saudi Arabia in consumer goods and business services segments.
  • The Company has a medium–term leverage target of 2.5x – 3.0x (net of bank balances and cash and RMI) and is focused on meeting this leverage target in the short to medium term.
  • Ittihad is well–placed to capitalise on strategic M&A opportunities and is strategically positioned to expedite its investment plans while exploring additional avenues for capital raise.

* Note on adjustments:

“Adjusted EBITDA” is defined as net profit (loss) for the year / period from continuing operations plus finance costs, tax, depreciation, amortisation, impairment of goodwill, and changes in the fair value of derivative financial instruments

Adjusted net leverage is defined as gross debt minus cash balances and readily marketable inventories (RMI) to adjusted EBITDA

Amer Kakish, Chief Executive Officer of Ittihad, said:

“The sustained and resilient EBITDA performance witnessed in 2023 highlights Ittihad's ability to maintain the strong earnings achieved in the record–breaking year of 2022. This consistent long–term growth demonstrates a significant milestone in our expansion journey, emphasizing the resilience of our diversified portfolio amidst challenging economic and geopolitical conditions, both regionally and globally.”

“We take pride in Ittihad's current contribution, accounting for over 4% of the UAE's non–oil manufacturing sector exports, and our rapid progress aligns with the UAE's 'Operation 300bn' strategy. Looking ahead, our focus remains on driving organic growth throughout our portfolio while maintaining our commitment to ongoing investment plans.”

For further information please contact:

Ittihad International Investment
Zahi Abu Hamze
Chief Financial Officer
+971 506128603

Wasfi Al Tayara
Corporate Finance and Investor Relations Manager
+971 501307449
investor.relations@ittihadinvestment.ae        

MHP Group
James McFarlane / Charlie Barker / Veronica Farah
+44 7584 152665 / +44 7834 623818 / +44 7710 117517
Ittihad@mhpgroup.com

Overview

The headline figures of AED 10.4 billion in revenues and AED 509.6 million adjusted EBITDA for the 12–month period remained relatively consistent with the prior year. However, it's important to recognize that 2022 marked a record year for the CGM segment, driven by customers replenishing inventories post–pandemic. Subsequently, as supply chain disruptions eased, customers scaled back on excess stock. Moreover, challenges such as higher interest rates, inflation, and geopolitical conflicts further complicated market conditions. Despite these obstacles, our ability to maintain the strong gains achieved in 2022 amid such challenges is commendable.

Our robust performance underscores the diversified nature of our investment portfolio spanning four key verticals: Consumer Goods Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Building Materials Manufacturing, Business Services, and Healthcare and Other. Throughout 2023, this diversification strategy has proven effective, showcasing resilience across various sectors and geographic markets. While certain segments faced macroeconomic challenges like destocking in consumer goods, others enjoyed robust demand and predictable earnings streams, mitigating any negative impacts at the Company level.

Revenue decreased by AED 538.4 million, or by 4.9 per cent., to AED 10,427.9 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2023 from AED 10,966.3 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2022, primarily due to a cyclical correction in commodity prices including paper, copper, and chemicals.

Adjusted EBITDA decreased by AED 12.7 million, or by 2.4 per cent., to AED 509.6 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2023 from AED 522.3 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2022, primarily due to softening of EBITDA in the chemicals and paper businesses as a result of lower prices of raw materials and finished goods, largely offset by higher margins and volume in IBMM and Business Services divisions. As a percentage of revenue, Adjusted EBITDA margin decreased from 13.3 per cent. to 12.6 per cent.

Segmental Performance

Consumer Goods Manufacturing

CGM comprises three product lines: Printing and writing paper, tissue, and chemicals used in detergents and personal care products. The nature of the products the Company manufactures are fast moving essential goods which enables its Consumer Goods margins to remain relatively resilient during economic downturns. In the 12 months ended 31 December 2023, the Company's three consumer goods products  accounted for 18 per cent of the Company's revenue and 41 per cent of its adjusted EBITDA.

Revenue decreased by AED 220.8 million, or by 10.4 per cent., to AED 1,906.7 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2023 from AED 2,127.5 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2022, primarily due to a post COVID drop in demand and prices of chemicals from June 2022 onwards as a result of destocking and normalization in supply chain, and a cyclical correction in the prices of tissue and paper during the second and third quarter of 2023.

Adjusted EBITDA decreased by AED 125.1 million, or by 37.6 per cent., to AED 207.7 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2023 from AED 332.9 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2022, primarily due to softening of margins as a result of lower prices of tissue, paper and chemical driven by a significant correction in raw material prices on the back of easing of supply chain crunch. Some of the excess demand growth of 2022 caused paper inventories to swell, contributing to de stocking and thereby softening of demand during second and third quarter in 2023. The impact was more significant in the chemical business due to much lower post–pandemic demand for cleaning and disinfecting chemicals.

Infrastructure and Building Materials Manufacturing

IBMM division comprises three product lines: Refined copper rods, steel bars, and cement. The copper business enjoys a positive outlook due to strong demand propelled by the increasing adoption of alternative energy sources and electric vehicles, aligned with global trends favoring energy transition initiatives. Similarly, the overall building materials segment has experienced a surge in sales and improved margins, fuelled by substantial infrastructure investments and heightened construction activity in key markets such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia. In the 12 months ended 31 December 2023, IBMM accounted for 73 per cent of the Company's revenue and 32 per cent of its adjusted EBITDA.

Revenue decreased by AED 444.3 million, or by 5.5 per cent., to AED 7,643.9 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2023 from AED 8,088.2 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2022, primarily due to a lower average price of copper during the period. Cement and steel business experienced healthy demand from the regional market on account of strong push for real estate and infrastructure projects, partly offset the decrease in copper.

Adjusted EBITDA increased by AED 90.7 million, or by 125.1 per cent., to AED 163.2 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2023 from AED 72.5 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2022, primarily due to higher margins and sales volume in the copper, steel and cement businesses.

Business Services

The Company's business services division provides: Long–term procurement, maintenance, and operation of radiology departments in Government–owned hospitals; Operation and maintenance services for infrastructure networks, wastewater treatment plants, sewage network and sewage treatment plants; and city cleaning and municipal waste collection. In the 12 months ended 31 December 2023, Business Services accounted for 6 per cent of the Company's revenue and 28 per cent of its adjusted EBITDA.

Revenue increased AED 66.3 million, or by 12.8 per cent., to AED 585.4 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2023 from AED 519.0 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2022, primarily due to an increase in work orders in the sewage and infrastructure business.

Adjusted EBITDA increased by AED 20.4 million, or by 16.5 per cent., to AED 144.2 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2023 from AED 123.8 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2022, primarily due to improved margins in city cleaning and waste collection and an increase in work orders in the operation and maintenance of sewage networks.

Healthcare and other

The division comprises of healthcare, fund management, logistics and transportation, and interior design services for government and the private sector. These businesses, in alignment with our Business Services division, have minimal asset requirements and operate in sectors with promising growth prospects. In the 12 months ended 31 December 2023, Healthcare and other accounted for 3 per cent of the Company's revenue and 5 per cent of its adjusted EBITDA.

Revenue increased by AED 131.5 million, or by 83.6 per cent., to AED 288.7 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2023 from AED 157.3 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2022, primarily due to an increase in sales of medical lab equipment, operating theatres, hospital beds, office furniture and a revenue ramp up of the newly expanded operation in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Adjusted EBITDA improved to AED 27.4 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2023 from AED 6.1 million in the twelve months ended 31 December 2022, primarily due to increased margin on account of increase in sales of medical lab equipment, operating theatres, hospital beds, office furniture and a revenue ramp up of the newly expanded operation in Egypt and KSA.

Outlook

Ittihad expects further growth at the EBITDA level, with revenues across verticals expected to organically expand. Moreover, improvements in margins are anticipated within the Consumer Goods vertical as the segment supply and demand dynamics normalize.

From an operational standpoint, Ittihad is strategically positioned to drive growth within its portfolio. In Q2 2024, the commissioning of our copper recycling plant is scheduled, along with additional expansion plans for the recently acquired waste collection operation in Saudi Arabia.

Looking ahead, the Company's primary focus over the next five years will be on organic growth and sustainability. Expansion into Saudi Arabia will remain a key priority, alongside ongoing investments in human capital development and the advancement of our ESG program.

About Ittihad

Ittihad is a privately owned business founded in 2008 and headquartered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with investments in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. The Company exports products and services to over 50 countries worldwide. It has a talented team of more than 8,000 members from over 57 nationalities with sector–wide expertise and a commitment to operational excellence.

Since 2015, Ittihad has pursued a strategy of investing in businesses with leading domestic positions in the UAE and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as well as strong international export potential. The Company focuses on long–term investments, all structured for business–to–business (B2B) export and designed to capture the unique value proposition offered by the UAE and the region.

Ittihad is committed to powering wealth creation through assets that balance profitability with sustainability and generate positive outcomes for stakeholders, society, and the planet.

This information is provided by Reach, the non–regulatory press release distribution service of RNS, part of the London Stock Exchange. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 9119718)