Li Ka-shing offers slim payout to shareholders, promises sweet returns

Hong Kong

THE last time Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong's richest man, rejigged his corporate empire, he offered a slim payout to minority shareholders, who ended up profiting handsomely anyway. His latest deal may go the same way.

Mr Li's Cheung Kong Holdings offered a 2.3 per cent discount when it bought Hutchison Whampoa earlier this year. Investors got stakes in a larger conglomerate and a property spin-off - holdings now worth 30 per cent more than Hutchison stock before the reshuffle.