(News Bulletin 247) – According to information from Reuters, the payments specialist is studying a defense strategy with banks, to ward off a hostile takeover while its price is at its lowest. The company has not commented on this information from the news agency.

Worldline wants to reassure its shareholders while the group has experienced a descent into stock market hell in 2023. According to information reported by Reuters, the payments pro has sought the help of bankers to establish a defense strategy. The aim is to avoid a hostile takeover following the collapse of its stock price, two sources close to the matter told the press agency.

Last year, the group collapsed by more than 60% on the stock market, notably due to a severe profit warning which caused its share price to plunge by almost 59% in one session. certainly an absolute record for a CAC 40 stock. Worldline then published disappointing growth, slashed its 2023 objectives and set aside those for the medium term.

The group’s capitalization then melted, which had ousted Worldline from the CAC 40 index last December.

So to restore market confidence, the payment technology specialist has examined options with Morgan Stanley and Rothschild & Co, including bringing in an anchor investor to support its share price, unnamed sources told Reuters. Reuters.

A friendly recovery?

“Last week, advisers began sounding out potential investors, such as French financial institutions, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds, with a view to taking a minority stake in the group,” explains Reuters quoting these same sources.

One of the sources also mentions a friendly takeover by a candidate dubbed by the French government if the measures taken by Worldline fail to restore investor confidence. “A recovery at this stage is, however, unlikely,” she added to Reuters. Worldline declined to comment to Reuters.

This is not the first time that press reports have mentioned the arrival of a white knight to come to the rescue of Worldline. In December, Bloomberg already understood that Crédit Agricole was considering taking a stake in the payments group to provide it with a factor of stability.

On the Paris Stock Exchange, the stock rose 4% at the start of the session, before turning downward and falling by almost 1.2% as lunch approached.