December 15 (Reuters) – Atos shares rise on the stock market on Friday after reports that Airbus has expressed interest in the group’s cybersecurity division with a view to its takeover.
On the Paris Stock Exchange, Atos shares soared 17.77% to 7.668 euros at 10:20 GMT on Friday, while the SBF 120 gained 0.70% at the same time.
Le Figaro reported on Thursday that Airbus is again interested in purchasing Atos’ Big Data and Security (BDS) division. The world’s leading aircraft manufacturer decided last March to put an end to its plan to acquire a 29.9% stake in Atos’ future digital and cybersecurity business.
Atos announced last year its planned spin-off to separate and combine the coveted Big Data and Security (BDS) division and other assets into an entity called Evidian.
The Evidian entity has already whetted the appetites of several players, including Thales and the Onepoint group.
Airbus did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Atos declined to comment.
Taking into account Friday’s increase, Atos shares have lost 14.4% since the start of the year. (Written by Augustin Turpin, with contributions from Dagmarah Mackos and Michal Aleksandrowicz, edited by Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
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