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☆ Kuwait rings up small bill in tower merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A three-way partnership deal will enable Qatar’s Ooredoo (ORDS.QA) to offload capital-intensive infrastructure but only by offering Kuwait’s Zain (ZAIN.KW) favourable deal terms. Ooredoo and Zain are creating a regional powerhouse with an estimated enterprise value of $2.2 billion to be managed by Zain-backed TASC Towers Holding. The $8.9 billion Ooredoo and $6.9 billion Zain will own 49.3% each, with the rest going to TASC. But Zain is paying an average price of $73,000 per tower, 9.5% less than the average price per tower in previous deals, according to JPMorgan analysts. The Kuwaiti group will also call the shots as the founders of Dubai’s TASC Towers Holding – which Zain controls with an 83.47% stake – will manage the new entity.

Persons: Qatar’s, Kuwait’s Zain, Zain, Ooredoo, Dubai’s, Pamela Barbaglia, Neiman Marcus, Francesco Guerrera, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, TASC, Bloomberg, JPMorgan, X, Saks, Thomson Locations: Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi, Kuwaiti, Hong Kong

☆ Rolls-Royce's overhaul is deceptively ambitious
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Rolls-Royce (RR.L) boss Tufan Erginbilgic wants to push Britain's biggest aerospace company to its limit. On the face of it, Erginbilgic's targets are not overly ambitious. Analysts were already forecasting a group operating margin of 11% in 2025 on the back of an air traffic recovery, according to LSEG data, not far below Erginbilgic's goal of 13%-15%. Yet this is the same margin range of Rolls-Royce's rivals Safran (SAF.PA) and General Electric (GE.N) which make engines for short-haul flights. Rolls-Royce's engines are instead used to power so-called widebody aircraft like Airbus's A330neo, used for transatlantic flights.

Persons: Tufan Erginbilgic, Safran, Pamela Barbaglia, Julius Baer’s, Warren Buffett, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Royce, Investors, General Electric, X, Thomson

☆ Insurers can underwrite dirty energy with impunity
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Insurers used to get heat for underwriting fossil fuels. Membership of bodies like the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA) was supposed to mean financial groups would cease supporting oil, gas and coal, speeding the pace of decarbonisation. Similarly, five of the Lloyd’s insurance market’s managing agents – RiverStone, Chaucer, RenaissanceRe, Ascot and Aegis – have not implemented any restrictions on fossil fuels. Insurers have even fewer qualms about supporting oil and gas. Governments have made energy security a key priority since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and can reasonably argue that abrupt halts to backing fossil fuels will just mean higher energy prices.

Persons: Warren, Berkshire Hathaway, Starr don’t, – RiverStone, Chaucer, Insuramore, Pamela Barbaglia, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Zero Insurance, Axa, Everest, Aegis, Reuters Graphics, X, Bayer, SEC, Paramount, Thomson Locations: Zurich, PICC, RenaissanceRe, Ascot, Ukraine

☆ Maersk's woes signal slow-motion industry crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Boss Vincent Clerc is not alone in trying to manage a crisis that is battering the container shipping world and which analysts at DNB Markets reckon could last up to 2030. He may also suspend the company's share buyback programme which has been put under review. Investors – spoilt by 16 consecutive quarters of earnings growth up to September – knocked 17% off the company’s share price following the news. The unit, which handles container shipping, reported a 56% drop in third-quarter sales due to a steep fall in freight rates. The World Trade Organization halved its growth forecast for global goods trade this year.

Persons: Evelyn Maersk, Fabian Bimmer, Moller, Boss Vincent Clerc, –, Clerc, Pamela Barbaglia, Aston Martin, Aimee Donnellan, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Shipping, Maersk, World Trade Organization, X, Macquarie, Pfizer, Thomson Locations: Hamburg, Germany

☆ CVC IPO efforts may not be third-time lucky
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - CVC Capital Partners’ ambitions to become a publicly traded diversified asset manager are on the back burner. Shares of rival managers have been pummelled as investors fret over the Gaza conflict, a weakening economy and whether buyout groups can continue to flourish in an era of higher interest rates. True, interest rates may fall. But geopolitical tensions are unlikely to die down, given unresolved issues in the Middle East and Ukraine. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Pamela Barbaglia, Aston Martin, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Partners, Financial Times, Moody’s, Pfizer, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam, Ukraine, Luxembourg, Gaza, East

☆ Vodafone will struggle to get clean exit in Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Toby Melville Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Vodafone’s (VOD.L) boss Margherita Della Valle is cleaning up the sprawling 21 billion pound telecom group, but it’s a tough job. A potentially messy exit in Spain illustrates the point. Della Valle lacks an obvious partner in the country: local giant Telefónica (TEF.MC) is too big, while rivals Orange (ORAN.PA) and MásMóvil are merging with one another. As a result, Vodafone may have found itself a potentially problematic counterparty for the Spanish business, which Della Valle has put under strategic review. Investors might be reassured that Della Valle is making things happen, but a clean break in Spain looks increasingly unlikely.

Persons: Toby Melville, Margherita Della Valle, Della Valle, Eamonn O’Hare, Expansión, Zegona, Pamela Barbaglia, Liam Proud, Streisand Neto Organizations: Vodafone, REUTERS, Reuters, Orange, Zegona Communications, Virgin Media, Bloomberg, Deutsche Bank, ING, Reuters Graphics Reuters, X, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Spain

☆ Birkenstock IPO gets predictable shoeing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A sign is illuminated at the entrance to a Birkenstock shoe store in London, Britain, October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Oct 11 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Birkenstock’s (BIRK.N) IPO is a flop. The Birkenstock enterprise was gunning for a multiple of 19 times EBITDA, well above that of Europe's luxury conglomerates. And if the first-day stock woes stick, a suitor might soon walk all over Birkenstock. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Toby Melville, L, gunning, Oliver Reichert don’t, Bernard Arnault, Pamela Barbaglia, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Tech, Compagnie Financiere, X, Qantas, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, United States, Europe, New York, Brussels

☆ Siemens is case study in China de-risking dilemma
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

That’s unsettling for the likes of Siemens, $62 billion carmaker Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and $39 billion chemicals group BASF (BASFn.DE). Factor in the German group’s 32% stake in Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) and 75% holding in Siemens Healthineers (SHLG.DE), currently worth 46 billion euros, and it adds up to 156 billion euros. The unit and Siemens’ Airport Logistics unit, which press reports say could be another divestment candidate, may only be worth 4 billion euros combined. Moreover, Kaeser already tried to boost Siemens’ valuation by partially spinning off subsidiaries. As of September, Siemens had bought back 2.5 billion euros of shares since starting a 3 billion euro share repurchase programme in November 2021.

Persons: Roland Busch, France’s Legrand, Busch, Joe Kaeser, he’s, Kaeser, Germany’s Bundesbank, Siemens, Goldman Sachs, Judith Wiese, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Siemens, Germany’s, Barclays, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Volkswagen, BASF, Software, Dassault, Automation, ABB, Smart Infrastructure, Siemens Energy, Siemens ’ Mobility, France’s Alstom, CRRC Corporation, Siemens ’ Airport Logistics, Siemens Healthineers, Toshiba Corp, Energy, BNP, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: China, Brussels, Beijing, Germany, EMEA, Swiss, Middle Kingdom, Republic, Shenzhen, Sichuan, Chengdu, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand

☆ Birkenstock walks tightrope with $11 bln price tag
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A pair of shoes is pictured in a window of a Birkenstock footwear store in Berlin, Germany, January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Birkenstock is taking a bold step forward. Fresh from publicity from the Barbie movie, the German sandals maker is targeting a valuation of up to $11 billion, including debt, in its New York stock listing next week. Hoping to build confidence among investors, owner L Catterton has secured the backing of anchor investors including Bernard Arnault’s investing vehicle Financière Agache and Norway’s wealth fund. At $44 to $49 per stock, the offer values the group’s equity between $8.3 billion and $9.2 billion.

Persons: Fabrizio Bensch, L Catterton, Bernard Arnault’s, Martens, Pamela Barbaglia, Lisa Jucca, Oliver Taslic 私, 「 Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Nike, 「 Reuters Locations: Berlin, Germany, New York

☆ Jittery markets may tie Dutch insurers' hands
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Dutch insurers NN (NN.AS) and ASR (ASRNL.AS) have lost 3 billion euros of combined market value after court rulings in the Netherlands raised the prospect of large compensation claims. The respective 22% and 16% stock price collapse will put pressure on the two groups to reach a speedy resolution. But customers argue that the insurers marketing these policies failed to disclose how much of their premiums went to actual investments, and how much covered the sellers’ costs. Take Hague-based NN: it has 315,000 active woekerpolissen policies and 581,000 inactive ones, ING reckons. Its 2.1 billion euro market value loss is equivalent to a claim of 2,300 euros per policy.

Persons: Pamela Barbaglia, ’, quagmire, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, ING reckons, JPMorgan reckons, Dutch, X, Thomson Locations: Netherlands, Ukraine

☆ Siemens’ spreading rot obscures elusive value
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mike BlakeLONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Siemens’ (SIEGn.DE) problems are no longer affecting just its periphery. Shares in its spun-out unit Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) have lost more than 40% this year due to faulty wind turbines. Chief Executive Roland Busch pointed the finger at China, saying slowing demand in Siemens’ third biggest market was to blame. Siemens shares fell as much as 7% on the news. Siemens shares are now trading over 30% below JPMorgan’s valuation based on a sum of the parts calculation.

Persons: Mike Blake LONDON, Roland Busch, Busch, Pamela Barbaglia, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Siemens, Coaster, REUTERS, Reuters, Siemens Energy, West, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Oceanside , California, U.S, China, Chengdu, Shenzhen

☆ Altice’s beaten-up debt is only a bet for the bold
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Violeta Santos MouraLONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Altice’s debt is a bet for the bold. Patrick Drahi’s telecoms group is sitting on a $60 billion debt burden, and faces rising borrowing costs and a corruption investigation. Drahi will therefore need to sell assets to cut debt, which starts to come due in 2025. Both Altice France and Altice International are trying to sell their data centre businesses, which could raise some 700 million euros, bankers say. Yet Altice France alone has some $19 billion of debt coming due by 2029.

Persons: Patrick Drahi, Violeta Santos Moura, Patrick Drahi’s, Drahi –, Armando Pereira, Altice, Drahi, “, ”, Pereira, Xavier Niel’s, Manuel Magalhaes e Silva, Altice International’s, Alexandre Fonseca, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: French, REUTERS, Violeta Santos Moura LONDON, Reuters, Altice USA, Altice, Bouygues Telecom, Banco Espírito Santo, Public, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Moroccan, Europe, United States, Portugal, Israel, Dominican Republic, Orange, Altice France, Banco Espírito, Portuguese, New York, London

☆ Sweaty Europe can kill two birds with one pump
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

What may be less immediately obvious is that heat pumps are the best way to do both. In Europe, currently only 16% of residential buildings use heat pumps, according to a study from the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) based on data from 21 countries including non-EU Britain and Norway, with 20 million heat pumps installed. On average buying and installing a heat pump could cost up to $13,000 compared to $2,500 for a gas boiler. Heat pump sales rose 35% in Italy last year, making it Europe’s second-biggest marketplace after France, EHPA data shows. To meet net-zero targets by 2030 EHPA estimates Europe would need 60 million more heat pumps installed by 2030.

Persons: Remo Casilli, Olaf Scholz’s, Joe Biden’s, António Guterres, George Hay, Oliver Taslic, Streisand Neto Organizations: Popolo, REUTERS, Remo Casilli LONDON, Reuters, International Energy Agency, IEA, European Union, Pump Association, Reuters Graphics, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Carrier, Mitsubishi Electric, Daikin Industries, El, El Corte Inglés, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, Europe, EU Britain, Norway, France, Germany, Poland, Brussels, Britain, United States, U.S, U.N, El Corte

☆ Maersk has ways to grow again despite headwinds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Container ship "Evelyn Maersk" is loaded during snowfall at a container terminal in a harbour amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Hamburg, Germany, April 6, 2021. Arch rival and privately-owned Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is deploying cash reserves on acquisitions to diversify away from container shipping. Maersk also needs to strengthen its logistics and services unit, where organic revenue fell 19%, dragged down by lower retail demand, particularly in North America. Last year's purchases of Pilot and LF Logistics helped prop up the division, but Maersk needs to invest more. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Evelyn Maersk, Fabian Bimmer, A.P, Moller, Boss Vincent Clerc, EBITDA, Clerc, Pamela Barbaglia, Pierre Briancon, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Fabian Bimmer LONDON, Reuters, Maersk, Walmart, Nike, Unilever, CMA CGM, Mediterranean Shipping Company, LF Logistics, Twitter, Adidas, InBev, Thomson Locations: Hamburg, Germany, North America

☆ Klein's UK SPAC deal is more swan song than encore
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The northern English county is the home of serial acquirer CorpAcq, led by the brother of “Take That” singer Jason Orange, which Klein’s Churchill Capital Corp VII (CVII.N) special-purpose acquisition company vehicle now hopes to buy. The deal, which values the investor in plumbing to fork-lift leasing groups at $1.6 billion including debt, may struggle to relight the fire of the depressed SPAC sector. Klein’s planned deal comes amid a growing lack of patience by SPAC investors. CorpAcq could yet be magic for SPAC investors. Churchill’s sponsors, including Klein, will waive most of their founder shares, which typically vest when a deal is done.

Persons: Peter Rawlinson, Michael Klein, acquirer, “, Jason Orange, Klein’s, SPACs, Klein, Simon Orange’s, Pamela Barbaglia, Aston Martin, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Lucid, Churchill Capital Corp, Nasdaq, Lucid Motors, Reuters, Blank, Cotton Traders, Twitter, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S, Cheshire, Stockholm, Brexit, Japan

☆ Europe’s listless IPOs are red flag for big floats
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

And so far, the performance of the floats that have got away has been relatively poor. It’s a major red flag for larger IPO candidates, like CVC Capital Partners or EQT’s (EQTAB.ST) Galderma. Only 65 companies decided to brave choppy stock markets in Europe, raising $6.6 billion in overall proceeds, according to Dealogic data. Italian betting group Lottomatica (LTMC.MI) and German web-hosting company IONOS (IOSn.DE) priced at the bottom of their initial ranges. Dealogic data shows that IPOs in the region raised a total of $6.6 billion between the start of 2023 and July 20.

Persons: Breakingviews, Thyssenkrupp, Nucera, Hidroelectrica, Liam Proud, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Capital Partners, underwriters, Bankers, Swiss, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Europe, Romanian, Saudi, Swedish

☆ Neste's output snafu dents net-zero aviation goals
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Neste’s production woes are a big headache for Chief Executive Matti Lehmus but also for the aviation sector. That includes up to 1 million tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which is key to make planes greener as it cuts carbon emissions by up to 80%. Neste is now predicting that it will produce 230,000 tons less of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel in the second half of 2023. Neste's production problems will further complicate the aviation race to net zero. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Matti Lehmus, Pamela Barbaglia, Lisa Jucca, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Twitter, Thales, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Neste

☆ Rolls-Royce boss reaps benefits of setting bar low
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 26 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Six months after calling Rolls-Royce (RR.L) a “burning platform”, Chief Executive Tufan Erginbilgic is giving Britain’s flagship engineering group a high five. Shares spiked 20% as investors celebrated the possibility of free cash flow hitting 1 billion pounds in 2023, 37% above consensus. The company had nearly 3.3 billion pounds of net debt last year, and Barclays analysts are pencilling in an increase this year. Erginbilgic can safely argue that Rolls-Royce is no longer a burning platform, but until he closes that gap he can expect heat from investors. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Tufan Erginbilgic, Erginbilgic, France’s Safran, Pamela Barbaglia, Aimee Donnellan, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Royce, Barclays, Electric, Twitter, Thales, Thomson

☆ Thales cyber push meets investor shoulder shrug
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 25 (Reuters Breakingviews) - France's Thales (TCFP.PA) is doubling down on cybersecurity with its $3.6 billion purchase of U.S. firm Imperva. Thales's boss Patrice Caine briefly considered buying Atos's (ATOS.PA) cybersecurity arm last year, but didn’t go through with it. The purchase values the Thoma Bravo-backed group at 17 times forecast 2024 operating profit, according to Thales. Meanwhile Caine’s push into the racy cyber sector doesn’t seem to register in the group’s valuation. That means investors are sceptical that Thales’s efforts to crack the war against hacking will work out for shareholders.

Persons: Patrice Caine, Thoma, Caine’s, Refinitiv Datastream, Pamela Barbaglia, Liam Proud, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Thales, Thoma Bravo, BAE Systems, Twitter, Thomson Locations: U.S, Spain

☆ SSAB profit hit flags EU steel's parlous state
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - SSAB (SSABa.ST) has kicked off European steelmakers' quarterly earnings season with a profit drama. Poor demand in Europe, declining steel prices and severe rises in energy and production costs are to blame. With steel consumption expected to decrease further in the second half of the year, investors sent SSAB stock down more than 15%. Without a deal, trade tariffs, which have been temporarily frozen, would return in December along with retaliatory measures from the EU. For SSAB, whose heavy plate business in North America was relatively stable during the second quarter, that would take things from bad to worse.

Persons: SSAB, steelmakers, Valdis Dombrovskis, Pamela Barbaglia, whir, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, SSAB, European Central Bank, Union, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Europe, U.S, North America

☆ Insurers’ net-zero club looks easy to shun
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 5 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Global insurers are looking to re-write the rules to salvage their net-zero club. The once 30-strong U.N.-backed Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA) unveiled ambitious decarbonisation targets in January, but now has only 12 companies left, including Italy’s Generali (GASI.MI) and Britain’s Aviva (AV.L). As a result, the club may effectively allow insurers to postpone that deadline. But the move may simply raise more questions around NZIA’s raison d’être: insurers may be better off simply publishing their own path to decarbonisation. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Italy’s, Pamela Barbaglia, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Global, Zero Insurance, Britain’s Aviva, Allianz, AXA, Tokio, Republican, Glasgow Financial Alliance, Twitter, KKR, Thomson Locations: May, Ukraine, China

☆ China-bashing throws Vodafone a curveball
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Vodafone's (VOD.L) M&A ambitions in Britain are falling prey to anti-China rhetoric. Parliamentarians are also fretting over the security impact on contracts with government departments once the deal goes through. Vodafone may face similar scrutiny, leading to inevitable delays. The fact that CK Hutchison has retained the right to appoint the chief financial officer may be a red flag. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: CK Hutchison's, Li Ka, Franco, Patrick Drahi, Hakan Koc, Pyrros Koussios, Roman Abramovich, CK Hutchison, Pamela Barbaglia, Aston Martin, Lisa Jucca, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, HK, Vodafone, BT, UK's National Security and Investment Act, Twitter, Siemens, Thomson Locations: Britain, China, Hong Kong, Canada

☆ Telecom Italia grid talks leave Vivendi in a bind
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) is moving ahead with the long-awaited sale of its grid. The 5.5 billion euro Italian group has entered exclusive talks with private equity powerhouse KKR (KKR.N), and wants a binding offer by Sept. 30. Vivendi however is valuing the NetCo at 31 billion euros. A 26 billion euro price tag would imply an EV/EBITDA multiple of 14 times. That’s almost three times that of Vodafone (VOD.L) or Telefonica (TEF.MC), assuming the grid’s EBITDA at 1.8 billion euros, according to Barclays estimates.

Persons: Pietro Labriola, Il Messaggero, That’s, – Labriola, Pamela Barbaglia, Pierre Briancon, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Telecom, KKR, Vivendi, hardball, Telecom Italia’s, Vodafone, Telefonica, Barclays, Twitter, Intel, Thomson Locations: Rome, York, French

☆ Thyssenkrupp hydrogen IPO calls for leap of faith
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Once known as the Swiss army knife of climate change for its myriad potential applications in heating, heavy industry and vehicles, green hydrogen has fallen to earth. High fossil fuel prices have also made green hydrogen more affordable relative to other types made from gas. Yet green hydrogen is mostly confined to large-scale industrial usages like steel and ammonia manufacturing. López Borrego will do well to get his IPO away at 3 billion euros without a tangible discount. Switching an average European steel site to green hydrogen could cost 7 billion euros, according to a Hydrogen Europe report.

Persons: Miguel Ángel López Borrego, Thyssenkrupp, DNR.MI, Nucera, López Borrego, Nora, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Nucera, Industrie, Energy, ITM, Mingyang Smart Energy, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thyssenkrupp, European, Council, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Dortmund, U.S, Swiss, Saudi

☆ Satellite stray’s lonely orbit has a cash booster
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 22 (Reuters Breakingviews) - SES and Intelsat are orbiting away from each other. After being locked in merger talks since March, the two satellite operators have decided instead to pursue their own turnaround plans independently. Both companies operate in the stagnant satellite-video market and so would have been doubling down on an old technology. And the combined company would have been burdened with a heavy initial net debt load of around 4 times combined EBITDA, according to Deutsche Bank analysts. It wants to broaden its business to new areas, like the medium earth orbit constellations, which provide quick internet connections in hard-to-reach places.

Persons: Steve Collar, Pamela Barbaglia, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, SES, Intelsat, Deutsche Bank, Elon, SpaceX, U.S, Twitter, Intel, Thomson Locations: Luxembourg

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