Aston Minerals Limited Wins Overwhelming Shareholder Approval for Merger with Torque Metals Limited – Set for 2025 Implementation
Thursday, May 22, 2025
at
5:16 pm
Aston Minerals Limited and Torque Metals Limited secured strong shareholder backing for their merger schemes. With nearly unanimous votes on both share and option proposals, pending final court approval and conditions, the strategic transaction is anticipated to conclude around June, marking a key milestone for both firms.
Aston Minerals Limited and Torque Metals Limited have advanced their strategic merger plans after securing robust approval from both company securityholders and optionholders. The corporate announcements detail that at meetings held on 22 May 2025, shareholders of Aston Minerals Limited voted overwhelmingly—over 91% of those present and more than 99% of total votes were cast in favor of the proposed share exchange scheme. Simultaneously, optionholders approved their corresponding scheme with a 100% favorable outcome. These decisive votes pave the way for Torque Metals Limited to acquire all fully paid ordinary shares in Aston Minerals Limited as well as all related unlisted options.
The companies outlined that the schemes are subject to customary conditions, including the approval of the Supreme Court of Western Australia at its hearing scheduled for 28 May 2025, and the independent expert’s conclusion that the schemes are in the best interests of Aston Minerals Limited securityholders. Should these conditions be satisfied or waived, the process is set to progress on an indicative timetable: Aston Minerals Limited shares are expected to cease trading at the close on 29 May 2025, with the record date for entitlements on 2 June and the issue of scheme consideration on 10 June 2025. Additionally, the cessation of the official quotation of Aston Minerals Limited shares will occur on the same day.
The technical aspects of the resolutions illustrate strong investor confidence, with shareholder and optionholder votes far exceeding the required thresholds—over 50% presence and a supermajority of at least 75% in favor for both votes. The detailed proxy vote disclosures support the transparency of the process and demonstrate a high level of participation and support among investors.
A bullish sentiment may be drawn from the near-unanimous support among both shareholder groups, suggesting that the market sees potential value and synergies in the merger. The clear timetable and structured conditions provide a roadmap that, if successfully executed, could unlock greater efficiencies and enhanced outputs. Conversely, a bearish perspective might highlight the remaining dependencies on regulatory and court approvals as potential stumbling blocks. The implementation timeline introduces short-term uncertainty with critical conditions still pending, and any delays or unforeseen issues at the court hearing could impact the anticipated benefits of the merger for investor portfolios.