Razer Proposes to Take Firm Private to Focus on Fintech and Software

Razer
(Image credit: Razer)

The management of PC and peripherals maker Razer has formally announced plans to take the company private at a valuation of HK$24.70 billion ($3.17 billion), reports Reuters. A group led by executives and a private equity firm cited plans to take significant risks in a bid to pursue new business opportunities in fintech and software as the reasons for the proposal.

Razer is one of the leading suppliers of premium gaming PC peripherals and PCs. For the first half of 2021, the company posted a record-high revenue of $752 million, a 68% increase year-over-year, and a net profit of $31.3 million, as compared to a net loss of $17.7 million in the first half of 2020. 

The bulk of the company's revenue ($677.3 million) came from sales of hardware, which includes some of the best gaming mice. By contrast, much more profitable albeit risky Razer Gold and Razer Fintech services ($72.8 million) as well as software ($1.9 million) businesses accounted for a relatively low portion of its earnings.

 

Razer Blade 15 Advanced

(Image credit: Razer)

"At present, the hardware business contributes to most of the company’s revenue, while the other businesses are at a relatively early stage of development," a statement by Razer reads.  As a listed company in Hong Kong, however, the company is restrained from pursuing opportunities in the software and services segments which tend to be riskier and may have an adverse impact on the company’s near-term profitability and share price."

By taking the company private, its management gains the flexibility necessary to address fintech and software business opportunities.

"As the company increases its focus on expanding in these emerging segments, the offeror believes that the successful implementation of the proposal will provide more flexibility to the group as a privately-operated business to implement its business strategies or to pursue other business opportunities that it may not be practicable to pursue as a listed company, without being subject to regulatory restrictions and compliance obligations arising from being listed on the Stock Exchange and without focusing on the short-term market reaction."

The group, led by CEO and creative director Min-Liang Tan and non-executive director Kaling Lim, who together own around 57% of Razer, plus CVC Capital Partners, has offered to pay up to HK$10.79 billion ($1.38 billion) to buy all remaining shares that are traded at the Hong Kong stock exchange at HK$2.82 per share, reports CNBC. The proposed price marks a premium of approximately 44% to Razer's closing price on October 28, a day before it emerged that the chairman offered such a deal. After the proposal was announced, Razer's shares dropped to HK$2.46.

Razer went public in mid-2017 to raise $600 million for future growth.

Anton Shilov
Contributing Writer

Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.

  • TommyTwoTone66
    Weird flex, but ok Razer. You do you.

    I guess the management team bet big on Bitcoin to be able to afford to buy back the whole company.
    Reply
  • They are undervalued because they make horrible hardware and even worse software. I will never buy any of their junk again
    Reply
  • TommyTwoTone66
    Mandark said:
    They are undervalued because they make horrible hardware and even worst software. I will never buy any of their junk again
    That's not how stock prices work my friend. They're undervalued because most investors don't understand the company or what they do and because they rely a lot on global supply chains so are a pretty risky bet right now.

    Personally I find Razer gear pretty great, and I guess a lot of people agree because they sold about 70% more of it this year than last year, and sales keep going up and up. Apparently gaming chairs are their biggest profit item, which is kind of funny since those chairs are just made in some generic chair factory in China, same as all the other chairs, and they just slap a Razer logo on them.

    I have the Kiyo webcam which is by far the nicest webcam I have ever used, and it got a lot of use over the pandemic. I have the Goliathus mouse mat which is just some LEDs around a big mouse mat, but the quality is great! And their mice are probably the best gaming mice I've used.

    I don't rate all their stuff, their headphones and laptops are pretty shaky, but for peripherals, which is their core business, I don't think anyone else really touches them. Logitech stuff is fine but doesn't last like Razer stuff does imo.
    Reply
  • No I don’t agree at all I had one of their keyboards premium keyboards and it was a pile of junk. If you like them you keep using him but I think the rest of the industry knows their secret. They know they suck and that’s why they valuation is poor
    Reply
  • TommyTwoTone66
    Mandark said:
    No I don’t agree at all I had one of their keyboards premium keyboards and it was a pile of junk. If you like them you keep using him but I think the rest of the industry no is there a secret. They know they suck and that’s why they valuation is poor

    Again that is not how stock market valuations work. You don't get a report card from the rest of the "industry" and they set your stock price based on that. Your stock price is based on who is buying the stock. If more people are selling than buying, then your price goes down.

    Quality and reliability of individual products is meaningless, what matters is how many people are buying those products and are you making a profit by selling them. Razer could be making the absolute worst keyboards in the world but if people kept buying them their profits would increase even further and stock price would go up as well.
    Reply
  • Calm down. And just why is it that people aren’t buying their stock I wonder.
    Reply
  • YarimBro
    I have been trying out Fintechzoom Pro for a while, I got the information that people are not buying their stock, so yea don't worry about it.
    Reply