Vanguard Group Announces Ownership Stake in Smith (DS) plc

The Vanguard Group, Inc. has disclosed its holding in Smith (DS) plc, revealing a stake representing 4.52% of the company, as of 28 March 2024. The disclosure was mandated under the Takeover Code Rule 8.3, which requires parties holding over 1% interest in relevant securities of a company involved in a takeover to make an opening position disclosure. Vanguard's holdings amount to a total of 62,288,830 shares in Smith (DS) plc's 10p ordinary shares class.

In addition to Smith (DS) plc, Vanguard has also made similar disclosures for International Paper Company and Mondi plc, indicating its active involvement in companies within the sector. The report details recent purchase transactions, including 14,760 shares bought at a price of 3.96 GBP per unit and 21,016 shares at 3.97 GBP per unit, signifying ongoing investment activities in Smith (DS) plc.

The disclosure also clarifies that Vanguard has no indemnity or dealing arrangements related to this holding that could influence its dealings, stating no agreements, arrangements, or understandings related to voting rights or future acquisitions concerning these securities.