Barita Investments now owns 20% of the issued shares of Derrimon Trading Company following the closing of the Derrimon additional public offer of shares, Barita disclosed in a release to the Jamaica Stock Exchange.
Commenting on the investment, Jason Chambers, Director of Barita and Chief Investment Officer of Barita’s parent company, Cornerstone, said: “The Board of Directors of Barita and the leadership team of Cornerstone are very satisfied with this investment as Derrimon embodies several of the characteristics we typically look for in assessing investment opportunities. DTL has built up an enviable track record of growth and value creation, and the management has demonstrated their ability to achieve scale both organically and through the successful integration of several accretive acquisitions. Barita has, over the course of the last two-plus years, established significant capacity to expand its portfolio of investments into sectors that are viable alternatives to traditional ones that are now fully priced in our view and therefore not likely to generate alpha for our shareholders in the medium to long term. This minority acquisition should be seen as a by-product of our increased investing capacity as we prudently seek to unearth both value and growth-oriented investment opportunities within the context of the current global investment landscape.”
Chambers continued, “We also note the diversification factor that this investment adds to our portfolio as it provides exposure to the real sector via a company which has recently begun an international expansion.
At Cornerstone and Barita, our goal is to positively impact the lives of our stakeholders through the tireless pursuit of opportunities that provide solid risk-adjusted returns throughout their investment horizons. We believe this investment is aligned with that ethos and we look forward to collaborating with the team at DTL to the mutual benefit of our collective stakeholder groups.”
Paula Barclay, General Manager of Barita, in commenting on the Company’s investment in Derrimon, stated: “At Barita, we continuously seek out unique strategic opportunities to build shareholder value while balancing the interests of our clients, team members, and other key stakeholders. We are confident that our association with a company like Derrimon will only contribute positively to our overall future performance. Consummating this investment took significant effort from the team at Barita and I would like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to them for their hard work.”
Barita Investments is a publicly-traded Securities Dealer listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange and majority-owned by Cornerstone Financial Holdings.
Derrimon Trading is listed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange and distributes dry and frozen bulk commodities. It also operates retail outlets and Supermarkets.
The shares of Barita are trading at $81.14 and Derimon at $2.56 on early Friday morning after the release.