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Telefonica (TEF) Reportedly Considering Stake Sale of Tech Unit

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Telefonica, S.A (TEF - Free Report) is mulling a stake sale of its Telefonica Tech business segment, according to a report from Bloomberg. However, there has been no official comment on the matter from Telefonica.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg noted that the company is holding discussions with various investment funds to assess their interest in stake acquisition. A potential deal could value the tech unit at more than €2 billion ($2.10 billion), added the report. Nonetheless, there is no certainty about the stake sale as negotiations are ongoing. 

Bloomberg also adds that TEF is also considering waiting for some time more to let the division achieve further growth before offloading a stake.

Telefonica Tech is engaged in assisting companies to accelerate the digital transformation of their business processes.  In the last reported quarter, the Telefonica Tech segment reported revenue growth of 36.1% year over year to €456 million. The Cyber business unit outperformed estimates, with second-quarter IoT revenues expanding by double digits.

In September 2023, Telefonica received an investment from a leading telecom operator in Saudi Arabia — STC Group. STC Group has acquired a substantial 9.9% stake in Telefonica.

This substantial stake comprises 4.9% of the company’s shares, with an additional 5% of economic exposure through financial instruments. Reportedly, STC's plan includes securing voting rights for this 5% interest held through these financial instruments after getting regulatory approvals.

This investment in Telefonica marks STC's second venture into Europe's telecom market, following its agreement to acquire tower infrastructure valued at €1.2 billion from United Group in April.

Spain-based Telefonica provides mobile and fixed communication services in Europe and Latin America. The company continues to invest heavily in deploying and transforming its network to provide excellent connectivity in all dimensions, capacity, speed, coverage and security.

TEF currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Shares of the company have gained 23.8% against the sub-industry’s decline of 2.7% in the past year.

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