Hanwha Solutions faces backlash over abrupt rights offering plan

Hanwha Solutions has drawn mounting criticism from both shareholders and securities analysts after it abruptly announced on Thursday a plan to raise capital by issuing new shares worth 2.4 trillion won ($1.6 billion). While minority shareholders have begun procedures to file petitions with the presidential office and the financial regulator to prevent the expected depreciation of their shares, analysts warned investors against buying the company’s stocks, expressing doubts about whether the proposed rights offering will achieve its intended goals. Under the plan announced just two days after the general shareholders’ meeting, Hanwha Solutions will issue new common shares so that it can use 1.5 trillion won of the proceeds to repay debts. The remaining 900 billion won will go toward strengthening its solar power business, operated by its Qcells division. Because the deal will add 72 million common shares to the 171.89 million outstanding ones, the company’s stock price fell 18.22 percent on the day of the announcement. It inched down another 3.13 percent to 35,650 won Friday. Act, a