Q3 2009 Kirin Holdings, Co., Ltd. Earnings Release - 01:30 am ET

Earnings Announcements for Friday, November 6CompanySymbolTimeConferenceCallA.C. Moore Arts & CraftsACMRBefore Market OpenAARHUSKARLSHAMN ABARHUF.PK02:30 am ETAastrom BiosciencesASTMTime Not SuppliedACE Aviation Holdings, Inc.ACE-A.TOBefore Market OpenAcetoACETBefore Market OpenAchillion Pharmaceuticals Inc.ACHNBefore Market OpenADVANCED CARD SYSTEMS HLDGS8210.HKTime Not SuppliedAdvanced Info Service PLCAVIFY.PKTime Not SuppliedAerCap Holdings N.V.AERBefore Market OpenListenAES CorporationAESBefore Market OpenListenAffirmative Insurance Holdings Inc.AFFMTime Not SuppliedAIRCASTLE LTDAYRBefore Market OpenListenAllied Healthcare ProductsAHPITime Not SuppliedALLIED TECHNOLOGIES LTDA13.SIAfter Market CloseALPIQ HOLDING LTDALPQF.PK01:00 am ETAmerican International GroupAIGBefore Market OpenAMERICAN OIL & GAS I...
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Kirin Pounces On Lion Nathan

Shareholders of Lion Nathan may open a few bottles of XXXX Gold beer or Mitchelton Shiraz to celebrate the nearly 40% surge of share price on Monday after Japanese brewer Kirin agreed to a $2.5 billion buy-out of Australia’s second-largest brewer. Shares of Lion Nathan ( LNNTF - news - people ) soared 39.2%, or 3.26 Australian dollars ($2.32), to 11.57 Australian dollars ($8.24) when it resumed trading on Monday after its independent directors accepted a revised bid from the Japanese beverages giant following four days of negotiations. Lion Nathan said Monday that Kirin Holdings ( KNBWF - news - people ) had agreed to offer 12.22 Australian dollars ($8.71) a share to buy the remaining 53.9% of the company it did not already own. The offer, representing a 47% premium to Lion Nathan’s closing price last Wednesday, included 11.50 Australian dollars ($8.19) in cash from Kirin and dividends totalling 0.72 Australian dollars if the deal was confirmed as "fair and reasonable" by an independent expert. Hoping to expand beyond a shrinking and aging market at home in Japan, Kirin made an initial offer worth about 11.00 Australian dollars ($7.84) a shar...
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The Brewery That Ate Asia

TOKYO -- If you brew beer, it's probably a better idea to sell it to Australians than to Japanese. That's why Kirin Holdings ( KNBWY - news - people ), the Japanese maker of Ichiban and Lager beers, is offering to buy the 54% of Australia's Lion Nathan brewery that it doesn't own. Kirin didn't say how much it was willing to pay for the rest of Lion Nathan but analysts estimated the company could pay $2.3 billion.It's a bid to forestall the slow business death sentence that is the vanishing Japanese population. With its low birth rate and increasingly frugal populace, the world's second-largest economy is no longer a growing market for beer. That threatens Kirin's heft; the company now ranks #352 on the Forbes Global 2000 list of the world's biggest companies.So Kirin's chief, Kazuyasu Kato, has spent his three years at the helm buying up and allying with other regional powerhouses. Making Kirin a more international company is one of Kato's main strategy goals, and he knows he can't do it without big acquisitions. In addition to its stake in Lion Nathan and the Filipino food company San Miguel, Kirin sells milk products and other foods to Australians through its holdings in National Foods and Dairy Farmers. The company also has a large China business that makes both local beers and imported versions of Kirin's branded lines (See "Kirin's Dry Spell").Kirin's plan to make Lion Nathan a wholly-owned subsidiary come...
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Asian Shares Gain With Deals Brewing

HONG KONG -- In a turnaround, major stock markets across Asia eked out some gains Thursday in afternoon trading, as some major deals are brewing.Australian beverage giant Lion Nathan is being courted by top shareholder, Japan's Kirin Holdings, which wants to buy the 54% of Lion Nathan stock it doesn't already own. Lion Nathan ( LNNTY - news - people ), which was suspended from trading Thursday, said negotiations are ongoing and did not disclose terms. Kirin ( KNBWY - news - people ) jumped 4.0%, or 43 yen (44 cents), to 1,121 yen ($11.44). Facing a shrinking market at home, Japanese breweries have been aggressive about venturing overseas in recent years. Last year, Asahi Breweries bought Cadbury's Australian beverage unit for $808 million, and Suntory bought Groupe Danone's Frucor juice unit for $771 million. In February, Kirin bought Philippines' San Miguel Brewery for $1.2 billion (See "Kirin Drinks Up In The Philippines").Earlier this year, Lion Nathan, backed by Kirin, abandoned a $4.9 billion bid for Coca-Cola's Australian bottler, Coca-Cola Amatil, after being rebuffed by ...
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Kirin Drinks Up In The Philippines

Japan's Kirin Holdings wants to leave Philippine food and beverage conglomerate San Miguel and focus wholly on San Miguel's beer unit. Facing a declining beer market at home, Japanese beverage companies have been eager to expand in other Asian markets.Kirin said it had agreed to buy a 43.3% stake in San Miguel Brewery, which is the Philippines' biggest brewer by sales, for 58.9 billion Philippine pesos ($1.2 billion). It will sell its 19.9% stake in San Miguel for 39.6 billion Philippine pesos ($821.2 million), booking a 26 billion yen ($276.2 million) charge. San Miguel's stake in the brewery unit will be reduced to 51%. Philippine investment firm Q-Tech Alliance Holdings will buy Kirin's San Miguel stake. Speculation has mounted that Kirin intends to add to its 43.3% stake in San Miguel Brewery and eventually turn it into a subsidiary. For its part, San Miguel is eager to raise capital for acquisitions, as it aims to diversify into infrastructure and commodities, such as power, oil refining, water supply and telecoms.As its biggest customer base--Japan's beer drinkers--shrinks, Kirin has been aggressively trying to expand into foods, beverages and even medicines throughout the Asia/Pacific region. In November, Kirin's Australian unit, (other-otc: LNNTF - news - people ), launched a $4.9 billion bid for Coca-Cola's Australian bottler, (other-otc: CCLAY...
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Asian Markets Sag As Japan Resumes Trading

Stock indexes in Japan and Hong Kong tumbled by 2%-3% Thursday, driven by a resurgence of the yen as well as a decline in the price of oil and other commodities. South Korean shares also failed to reap benefit from the Korean central bank's decision to reduce interest rates to a record low.The Bank of Korea slashed the country's benchmark seven-day rate on Thursday by 50 basis points, to 2.0%, its sixth cut in four months. In an attempt to ward off recession, the central bank in Seoul has cut its interest rates by a total of 3.25 percentage points since early October. Economists forecast that the central bank might be able to reduce rates by another 50 basis points, but the real effect would be limited at this stage. The central government is also planning to inject up to 20 trillion won ($14.3 billion) by the end of April to stimulate the economy, which is forecast to shrink by as much as 4% this year, Yonhap News reported Thursday, citing an unnamed official.Despite all the efforts at stimulus , the benchmark KOSPI index sank by 10.34 points, or 0.9%, to 1,179.84. Banks slid hard: (nyse: KB - news - people ), the parent of leading lender Kookmin Bank, dropped by 1,850 won ($1.33), or 5.35%, to 32,700 won ($23.52), after Kookmin Bank reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $229 million; Woori Finance Holdings similarly swung to a fourth-quarter net loss, and its shares tanked by 590 won (42 cents), or 7.55%, to 7,230 won ($5.20). Pressured by a falloff in DRAM prices this week, (other-otc: ...
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Down Day In Asia

South Korea's reduction of interest rates to a record low of 2% and an expected multibillion-dollar investment by China into Rio Tinto were not enough to counter negative sentiment in Asia on Thursday.The Bank of Korea slashed the country's benchmark seven-day rate on Thursday by 50 basis points to a record low of 2.0%, its sixth cut in four months. To prevent South Korea sink into recession, the central bank has cut its interest rates by a total of 3.25 percentage points since early October. The central bank also said Thursday that it would assist the government in revamping the economy, hinting at a possible purchase of treasuries to finance aggressive fiscal spending.Despite all the stimulus efforts, the benchmark Kospi index sank 22.08 points, or 1.9%, to 1,168.10. Economists forecast the central bank might be able to reduce rates by another 50 basis points, but the real effect would be limited at this stage.In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 average shed 240.58 points, or 3.0%, to close at 7,705.36 amid general disappointment over the U.S. bank bailout plan.Japanese exporters were particularly under pressure as the yen strengthened to 90.06 against the dollar, from 90.40 yen Wednesday. (nyse: CAJ - news - people ) fell 175 yen ($1.94), or 6.8%, to 2,400 yen ($26.68). The alcohol and soft drinks maker (other-otc: KNBWY - news - ...
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