WiseTech Global share price drops lower on market update

The WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) share price is dropping lower on Thursday after the release of an update.

At the time of writing the logistics solutions company’s shares are down 3.5% to $21.60.

What was in WiseTech’s update?

This morning WiseTech provided the market with an update on the earnout arrangements it has for many of the bolt-on acquisitions it has made in recent years.

Earnouts are used during acquisitions to reward the sellers of a business if the acquired business goes on to achieve certain financial goals.

According to the release, it has worked collaboratively with 17 of its acquired businesses to simultaneously reduce and close-out future earnouts and replace significant cash payments with equity.

WiseTech Global Founder and CEO, Richard White, explained: “The current environment provided us with the opportunity to restructure previously agreed acquisition earnouts, ensuring we can better drive those resources, accelerate their contribution to CargoWise development, and further improve our commercial efficiency.”

“Our shared vision and alignment with our Founder MDs enabled us to close out these arrangements efficiently, remove significant contingent cash obligations and reduce future contingent liabilities. The leaders across our acquired organisations remain in the Group and are focused on delivering value for shareholders.,” he added.

What are the changes?

The company revealed that the negotiations have resulted in:

• Reduction in contingent liabilities overall from $215.5 million to $68.5 million.
• Removal of $151.5 million of future contingent cash liabilities.
• Equity issuance of $81.4 million of which $45.7 million remains escrowed for 12 months.
• The complete close-out of all future earnouts for ABM Data, CargoIT, Cargoguide, CargoSphere, CustomsMatters, DataFreight (LSI), Microlistics, Pierbridge, SmartFreight, Softcargo, SaaS Trans, Trinium, and Xware.
• The replacement of cash earnouts with equity for Cypress, Depot Systems, Forward, and SISA: part immediate equity close-out, and part future equity earnouts of $10.9 million based on product development.

The company will now review earnouts for the remaining acquisitions it has made.

In other news, WiseTech revealed that it remains on target to achieve its guidance for FY 2020.

Mr White advised: “In the current environment, our business continues to demonstrate resilience and tracks in line with our expectations.”

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of WiseTech Global. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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