Brookfield Renewable: Origin Shareholders Reject Deal; Shares Slightly Undervalued

On Dec. 4 shareholders of Origin Energy rejected a Brookfield-led takeover proposal. The final vote tally was 69% in favor, below the 75% threshold required. The failed vote is not a major surprise following news that AustralianSuper, which owns about 17% of Origin, was opposed to the deal. In its response, Brookfield noted it will "evaluate its next steps" and hinted it remains interested in a potential deal. We would not rule out continued interest from Brookfield in a deal but also expect the company to weigh further consideration against alternative investment options for the company's capital. We would expect the company to find other investment opportunities in the event it walks away from Origin for good and, thus, don't expect the ultimate Origin outcome to materially affect our fair value estimate.