Seoul, Sept 30 - Top South Korean spirit maker Jinro Ltd priced its initial public offering on Wednesday below its indicated range, raising 590.4 billion won ($501.5 million), two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.
The tight pricing follows a lowering of its initial IPO price guidance earlier this month, reflecting a cautious view about the economy and signs that investors in Asia's hot IPO market are becoming more selective.
Jinro, majority controlled by Hite Holdings , priced the IPO at 41,000 won per share, compared with a 45,000-50,000 won range given earlier this month, the sources told Reuters, declining to be named before Jinro made a formal announcement of the pricing result.
The indicated price range had been lowered from the initial 54,000-60,000 won, after investors turned back its high valuations.
Jinro's market debut comes ahead of the IPO of POSCO Engineering & Construction, a unit of steel giant POSCO , as the building company plans to raise up to 1.1 trillion won ($926 million) in an October offering.
The maker of distilled 'soju', Jinro is offering 14.4 million shares held mostly by its second- and third-largest shareholders -- the Korea Teachers' Credit Union and the Military Mutual Aid Association -- which will be left with no holdings.
This is the second entry for the country's biggest maker of soju -- literally "distilled drink", usually made from grain or potatoes and with around 20 degrees of alcohol -- into South Korea's stock markets. It was delisted in 2003 following its bankruptcy.
The IPO price represents 11 times forecast net profits, based on the company's estimates, versus Japanese beer maker Asahi Breweries' 16 times.
The offering also comes as the beverage industry is coming under heavy pressure for consolidation.
Japanese brewer Kirin is buying Australia's second-largest brewer Lion Nathan Ltd for $2.8 billion, while another Japanese brewer, Suntory Holdings, is in talks to buy soft drinks maker Orangina.
Samsung Securities and Woori Investment & Securities handled Jinro's IPO.