According to a report by Miguel Camus of InsiderPH [link], the negotiations surrounding the Okada Group’s rescue of PH Resorts Group [PHR 0.76 ?6.2%; 134% avgVol] have “stalled” and are “on the verge of collapsing” over “a disagreement on commercial terms.” The article quotes an “insider” who blames PHR’s “unrealistic” terms for the hitch in negotiations. PHR is currently owned by failing tycoon candidate Dennis Uy. Okada Group is the third potential buyer to try and purchase Mr. Uy’s distressed assets after Enrique Razon suddenly disengaged in March of 2023 and AppleOne backed out of a deal just before Christmas.MB BOTTOM-LINE: The source in this article allegedly made a point of saying that the disagreement doesn’t involve differing impressions on the viability of the project. “Commercial terms” are things relating to price and payment or other financial aspects of the deal. Disagreements of any kind are usually resolved through adjustments in price, but disagreements in price can be tricky because there are often limited ways for one party to “make up the difference” to the other that don’t involve money. For a completely hypothetical example, the Okada Group might be willing to accept a slightly higher price than it originally wanted if Mr. Uy were willing to accept payment for his shares over an extended period. However, there is only so much ground to be made up with a compromise like that. If the rumors are true and the Okada Group is thinking about walking away from the deal and its ?300 million non-refundable deposit, then we might see most of PHR’s deadcat bounce value get flushed down the drain in short order. We need to hear from the parties, though. This could just be a negotiation tactic by the Okada Group to force Mr. Uy to contemplate life without the deal.
