China-based local services platform Meituan Dianping has raised $4.22bn in an initial public offering that included a $400m investment by internet group Tencent, Reuters reported today, citing people close to the deal.
Meituan Dianping issued 480 million primary shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange priced at HK$69 ($8.79) each, near the top of the IPO’s HK$60 to HK$72 range. The offering values the company at about $52bn, according to the sources.
Established through the 2015 merger of group buying platform Meituan and restaurant listings service Dianping, Meituan Dianping now operates an online portal that links to a range of services including food delivery, travel booking and event ticketing.
Tencent was joined as a cornerstone investor in the IPO by asset manager Oppenheimer, which bought $500m of shares, hedge fund Lansdowne Partners ($300m), investment advisory firm Darsana Capital Partners ($200m) and the government-backed China Structural Reform Fund ($100m).
Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are joint sponsors of the offering, which could be expanded to $4.85bn if the underwriters take up the greenshoe option and buy additional shares.
Meituan Dianping, which claims some 310 monthly active users, had received about $9.9bn in funding prior to the offering, including a total of about $2.6bn raised by Meituan and Dianping before the merger.
Tencent led a $4bn round for the company in October 2017, investing with travel services group Priceline Group, GIC, Trustbridge Partners, Coatue Management, Sequoia Capital, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, IDG Capital, Tiger Global Management and China-UAE Investment Cooperation Fund at a $30bn valuation.
The 2017 round came after Meituan Dianping had secured $3.3bn in an early 2016 round that reportedly featured $1bn from Tencent, $350m from DST Global and $150m from TrustBridge Partners as well as funding from China International Capital and Capital Today.
Tencent, which initially paid up to $500m for a 20% stake in Dianping in 2014, held a 20.1% share of the company pre-IPO, while e-commerce firm and early Meituan backer Alibaba owned 1.4% and electronics manufacturer and Dianping investor Xiaomi 0.6%.
Other notable shareholders pre-IPO include Sequoia Capital (11.4%), Trustbridge Partners (3.6%), Coatue Management (3.2%), Tiger Global Management and Hillhouse Capital (3.1% each), DST Global (2.7%), Capital Today (2.4%) and GIC (1.8%).