Finances
Solidere shares went on sale at the beginning of November 1993. Each share cost $100. Sales were restricted to Arab investors. Sixty-five million shares were on sale. $1.1 billion worth of shares had already been issued to landowners, tenants and leaseholders in compulsory purchases. One property owner involved described the process as “one of the greatest swindles of the century.”[8]
In 1996, following the Israeli seventeen day bombardment of Lebanon, Solidere revised it's $30 billion plan, Horizon 2000. The new plan projected an expenditure of $1 billion a year for five years. In the four years since Rafic Hariri becoming prime minister the country's public debt had risen from $2 billion to $8 billion.[9] The Israeli attack was estimated to have caused damage costing $500 million. It also resulted in a loss in investor confidence.[10]
Its shares are listed on the Beirut Stock Exchange, and its Global Depository Receipts trade on the London Stock Exchange. Its share price on the Beirut exchange has risen sharply in recent years, from about US$5 in early 2004 to a high of $39 in September 2008. Between 1995 and 2015, Solidere has approved more than $1B in dividends to its shareholders.
Solidere's 36,000 shareholders are mostly Lebanese, in addition to Arab nationals, banks, and Arab or international funds. There are two categories of shares: A held by previous property owners and B by new investors. Rafik Hariri's share in the company has been a controversial subject in the Lebanese political spectrum. Some rumors say that he owned a majority stake in Solidere before his assassination in 2005, and the Hariri family continues to be a principal shareholder today. However, the Hariri family rejected those rumors, saying that he owned only 6% of the company's shares.[11] Furthermore, Solidere prohibits any shareholder from acquiring more than 10% of the company's capital, either directly or indirectly.
In 2020, according to Jean Hanna, Deputy General Manager at Fidus, when Solidere saw the surge in demand for real estate it stopped selling at discounts of 30 to 40 percent as it used to do in the past when there was a slump in demand. It began to sell at a fair price but afterwards it increased prices by around 30 percent with the continuous rise in demand, he said. Now that it has settled its debt, Solidere is less interested in selling properties that is why it has raised its prices, according to Hanna. The fact that real estate sales on the local market at large were only limited property owners who wanted to settle debt to banks has also contributed to the increase in demand for Solidere's properties, he said.[12]
Solidere is back on the profit path and this trend will continue. Solidere has posted a net profit of $49 million in 2019, according to the company's released audited financial statement. Total revenues jumped from $66.2 million in 2018 to $295.4 million in 2019. Revenues from land sales, which represented 79 percent of total revenues, soared from nearly $1.3 million to $234.5 million. Hanna said that land sales allowed the company to repay its loans which reduced its interest costs and therefore the net profit resulted not only from the increase in sales revenues but also from the decrease in interest expenses. The company has decreased its total liabilities, including bank loans, by 40 percent. Total liabilities dropped to $417.4 million at the end of 2019. Solidere's interest expenses fell by $13.7 million compared with 2018. The company had said that it had succeeded in further lowering its liabilities in 2020 to $225 million at the end of June, thanks to the increase in sales. It settled debts to banks worth $190 million. “Proceeds collected from sales will reach $342 million in the first half of 2020,” it said.[12]
Also, according to Faysal Barbir, Director-Capital Markets at FFA Private Bank, Solidere has been selling properties since the beginning of 2020 at a higher pace which would reflect on its earnings for the current year. This led to a jump in the share price. The price of Solidere ‘A’ share doubled compared with its closing price in October 2019. The trading volume of Solidere ‘A’ soared more than six times to around 900,000 shares in May from less than 150,000 shares in October 2019. The increase in share price was also driven by the fact that a new category of investors have entered the market. These are mainly depositors who wanted to preserve the value of their savings when the currency was collapsing. Solidere shares were the only option available on the stock market, especially following press reports about possible haircuts and restructuring of the banking sector. Buying real estate shares is more convenient for investors who cannot afford to buy real estate properties.[13] Barbir also indicated that Solidere shares could rise further if a new catalyst emerges such as renewed fears regarding the banking sector or if Solidere announces an improvement in its net profit.[13]
At the end of 2020, the rise in sales allowed the company to settle its entire debt to banks totaling more than $200 million. This has also led to a surge in its cash liquidity in banks.[14] Solidere stocks have soared even higher sitting at $24.5 on 18 March 2021. This is a rise of 500% since November 2019.[15]
