Jardine pivots to private equity model with $500m buyback and asset sales

Jardine Matheson, the 194-year-old Hong Kong conglomerate, is recasting itself as an active investor more akin to a private equity fund, according to sources cited by Bloomberg.

© Lam Yik/Bloomberg

The group will buy back $500m of its own shares by the end of next year, and is aiming to grow its annual dividend by at least 5% a year through to 2030 while delivering at least 9% annual growth in total shareholder return.

The shift is a significant departure for a house that has long operated as a buy-and-hold owner of sprawling bus…