Australia's largest self-storage operator, National Storage REIT <NSR.AX>, said on Wednesday that Public Storage <PSA.N> decided not to pursue a takeover offer of $1.25 billion, because of market conditions caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
U.S.-based Public Storage, which offered A$2.40 a share for National Storage at the end of February, was the last suitor in a three-way race for the company after two other private equity firms pulled out.
New York-based private equity firm Warburg Pincus and China's Gaw Capital Partners had each offered A$2.20 a share for the Brisbane-based firm.
Financial market volatility sparked by the coronavirus pandemic has led to a rethink of prices and contract conditions for potential Australian takeover deals, sources told Reuters earlier this week.
Shares of National Storage slumped as much as 30% to a more than five-year low after resuming trade following suspension earlier in the day pending the announcement. The broader market <.AXJO> was about 5% lower.
Public Storage was not immediately available for comment outside its regular business hours.
(Reporting by Shriya Ramakrishnan in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Christopher Cushing)
