* Siemens Energy weighs buying remaining stake in wind unit
* Deal would simplify Siemens Energy structure - Citi
* Siemens Gamesa shares +7.7%, Siemens Energy +3.1%
FRANKFURT, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Siemens Energy has
stepped up efforts to explore a full integration of wind turbine
business Siemens Gamesa, sources told Reuters, after
profit warnings and share price slumps last week exposed flaws
in the current ownership structure.
The company is currently working with advisers to look at
options for how to best acquire the remaining 33% stake Siemens
Energy does not yet own in Siemens Gamesa, two people familiar
with the matter said.
Shares in Siemens Gamesa, the world's biggest maker of
offshore wind turbines, rose as much as 7.7% on the news, while
Siemens Energy rose as much as 3.1%.
Analysts at Citi, in a note following the news, said such a
deal would bring most upside to Siemens Gamesa shares in the
near-term.
"However, we would also see such a deal as potentially
enabling a re-rating of Siemens Energy over the coming months
from a greater clarity and simplification of the group's
structure," they wrote.
Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch is under pressure to find
a way to sort out the ownership structure inherited as part of a
spin off from former parent Siemens in 2020 that gave
him majority ownership in a business but no control.
A deal could materialise by summer, one of the people said,
pointing to the risks to Siemens Energy, which has had to cut
its outlook three times over the past nine months to reflect
guidance downgrades at Spanish-listed Siemens Gamesa.
Siemens Energy is still weighing up the potential impact an
acquisition would have on its balance sheet and investment grade
rating, the people said, adding that one option would be to pay
with stock, rather than cash, to avoid raising fresh capital.
No final decision has been made on the matter and there is
no guarantee that a deal will happen, they added.
Siemens Energy and Siemens Gamesa declined to comment.
Deutsche Bank in a note this week said it saw a 50% chance
that Siemens Energy would buy out Siemens Gamesa's minority
shareholders at 21 euros per share, which would translate into a
4.7 billion euro ($5.3 billion) bid.
While that would represent a premium of around a third to
the current price, Siemens Gamesa's shares have nearly halved
over the past twelve months to their lowest since mid-2020,
making a full takeover more affordable, the people said.
Siemens Gamesa, created in 2017 to better compete in the
fast-growing but competitive wind turbine market, is facing
supply chain issues and higher-than-expected costs related to a
new product line in its onshore division.
($1 = 0.8868 euros)
(Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Additional reporting by Andres
Gonzalez. Editing by Jane Merriman)