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☆ 'Boomerang' CEOs of major companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 22 (Reuters) - Sam Altman reached an agreement with OpenAI to return as CEO on Wednesday, after a tumultuous few days following his ouster by the company's board. He joins a list of big name "boomerang" chief executives who have made comebacks at a later date. DELL (DELL.N) - MICHAEL DELLMichael Dell founded Dell Inc in 1980s and held the position of CEO until 2004, when he stepped down to serve as chairman. He returned as CEO in 2007 and led the company through the merger with EMC, which resulted in the emergence of Dell Technologies. He returned as CEO in 2023 amid challenges related to UBS's takeover of peer Credit Suisse.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, Steve Jobs, John Sculley, DELL, MICHAEL DELL Michael Dell, ROBERT IGER Robert Iger, HOWARD SCHULTZ Howard Schultz, JACK DORSEY Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Dorsey, SERGIO ERMOTTI Sergio Ermotti, Ralph Hamers, Boleslaw Lasocki, Victor Goury, Milla Nissi, Jane Merriman Organizations: Apple, Dell Inc, EMC, Dell Technologies . DISNEY, NBA, TWITTER, Twitter, UBS, Suisse, Thomson Locations: U.S, Swiss, Laffont, Gdansk

The head office of Dutch financial insurance company Aegon is seen in The Hague, October 28, 2008. Dutch insurer Aegon tapped into government funding on Tuesday, taking 3 billion euros ($3.7 billion) to strengthen its capital base eroded by investment losses and exposure to risky investments. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 16 (Reuters) - Dutch Insurer Aegon (AEGN.AS) raised its annual capital generation forecast on Thursday after topping third-quarter expectations on the same metric, driven by a strong performance in the key U.S. market. The company expects operating capital generation from its units to be around 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) this year, compared with a prior target of more than 1 billion. Aegon's Americas region, which mostly consists of its U.S. business, represented two-thirds of the group's operating capital generation in the quarter.

Persons: Stringer, Matt Rider, Rider, Gaelle Sheehan, Victor Goury, Milla Nissi, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Aegon, REUTERS, U.S, Metlife, World Financial, Reuters, Thomson Locations: The Hague, Eastern, U.S, Americas, Netherlands, Laffont, Gdansk

☆ Vinci upgrades free cash flow target as order book hits record high
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Victor Goury-Laffont | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 26 (Reuters) - French infrastructure group Vinci (SGEF.PA) upgraded its full-year free cash flow guidance, pointing to a high level of liquidity, a year-on-year decline in financial debt and a record high order book. The company now expects free cash flow of at least 4.5 billion euros ($4.74 billion) for 2023, against a previous estimate of between 4 billion and 4.5 billion euros. Vinci's order book reached 63.3 billion euros at Sept. 30, a record high level according to the company. The group's net financial debt stood at 18.6 billion euros at the end of the nine-month period, down from 20.1 billion euros a year ago. The number of travellers at Vinci Airports, remained 9.1% below pre-pandemic levels in the first-half of the year and 2.8% under in the third quarter.

Persons: Charles Platiau, Grégoire Thibault, Bruno Le Maire, Vinci, Victor Goury, Chris Reese, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Vinci, Lyon, Saint, Exupéry, French Finance, Gatwick, Vinci Airports, Thomson Locations: Rueil, Malmaison, Paris, France, Vinci

☆ Air France-KLM announces a 1.3 billion euros financing agreement with Apollo
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A logo is seen on the facade of Air France-KLM building during the presentation of the group's annual results in Paris, France, February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 26 (Reuters) - Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) announced on Thursday a new financing agreement between one of its affiliate and funds and entities managed by Apollo Global Management (APO.N) in a bid to strengthen its balance sheet. The 1.3 billion euros ($1.37 billion) financing will be accounted as quasi-equity under IFRS accounting standards, the airplane carrier said in a statement. Apollo has an option to increase the nominal amount to up to 1.5 billion euros, Air France-KLM said. For Air France-KLM, this is the second cash injection from Apollo after a $560 million agreement in July.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, Victor Goury, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Air France, KLM, REUTERS, Apollo Global Management, Group, Thomson Locations: Air, Paris, France

☆ ASMI beats revenue target with boost from China activities
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 24 (Reuters) - Semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASM International (ASMI.AS) beat its third quarter revenue guidance Tuesday, with a strong contribution from the Chinese market. The Dutch group reported 622.3 million euros ($659.14 million) in revenue during the quarter, against an initial target of between 580 and 620 million euros. ASMI's third quarter revenue is up from 609.8 million euros last year and above the 601.92 million euros expected by analysts, according to LSEG data. New orders came in at 627.4 million euros, below last year's 675.5 million euros but near the top-end of the group's guidance for the quarter. Fellow Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML Holding NV (ASML.AS) last week reported lower-than-expected orders in the third quarter and warned of flat sales in 2024.

Persons: Benjamin Loh, Victor Goury, Alison Williams, Mark Potter Organizations: Semiconductor, ASM, ASML, Thomson

☆ ASML warns of flat 2024 sales as chipmakers slow orders
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The company reported net profit of 1.9 billion euros ($2.01 billion) for the three months ended Sept. 30, in line with analyst expectations. Net bookings were 2.6 billion euros, compared with third quarter sales of 6.7 billion euros. "Consensus expectations still call for 7% sales growth next year, which should come down today," Stifel analysts said in a note. Dassen said ASML still had an order backlog of 35 billion euros and a strong 2025 would follow an uncertain 2024, given its customers' expansion plans in Asia, the United States and Europe. Dassen said the company did not expect any financial impact from an updated U.S. policy announced Tuesday restricting sales of semiconductor equipment to China.

Persons: they're, Roger Dassen, Dassen, ASML, Toby Sterling, Victor Goury, Rashmi Aich, Mark Potter Organizations: Jefferies, Semiconductor, ASML, Samsung, Intel, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Amsterdam, Asia, United States, Europe, China, Taiwan, South Korea

☆ Umicore cuts investment target after expanding EV battery materials production
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Umicore SA FollowVolkswagen AG FollowOct 17 (Reuters) - Belgium's Umicore (UMI.BR) said on Tuesday it had lowered its net capital expenditure target for 2026 after expanding its battery materials production facilities to North America, with plans to build a new plant in Canada. Umicore expects total net capital expenditure between 2022 and 2026 to reach 3.8 billion euros ($4.01 billion). The group had previously said it planned to carry out phased investments of around 5 billion euros between 2022-2026. Analysts at brokerage Jefferies said that the difference between both figures does not necessarily mean a drop in overall gross capex spending. Umicore also announced a new target for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margins, which they expect to be above 25% from 2026.

Persons: Umicore, Jefferies, Victor Goury, Louise Heavens Organizations: Volkswagen, Thomson Locations: North America, Canada

☆ ASM International raises 2025 revenue guidance
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 26 (Reuters) - Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASM International (ASMI.AS) raised its revenue target for 2025 on Tuesday, saying its innovation strategy and transition to new technologies would reap results. The Amsterdam-listed company now expects revenue to reach 3 billion euros to 3.6 billion euros ($3.81 billion) in two years time, up from a previous estimate of 2.8 billion to 3.4 billion euros. ASM International also reiterated its gross margin target at 46-50% and its operating margin target at 26-31% for 2023-2025. ALD, a technique in semi-conductor manufacturing using ultra-thin layers of material, accounted for more than half of the company's revenue from equipment sales in 2022. The group also confirmed its overall sales target for the upcoming quarter at between 580 million and 620 million euros.

Persons: Benjamin Loh, Victor Goury, Pierre John Felcenloben, Christopher Cushing, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: ASM, ASM International, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam

A guest speaks on a mobile phone as she arrives for the French telecoms operator Iliad's media conference in Milan, Italy, May 29, 2018. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 30 (Reuters) - French telecom provider Iliad reported a more than 4% rise in half-year core profit on Wednesday, supported by gains across markets and the expansion of its activities in Italy. Telecommunications companies across Europe have been hit by rising energy prices, infrastructure costs to deploy fibre and 5G coverage, and a slowdown in subscriber growth. The group remains on the lookout for potential acquisitions in Italy after its 2022 Vodafone bid was rejected, he said. ($1 = 0.9204 euros)Reporting by Stéphanie Hamel and Victor Goury-Laffont in Gdansk; Editing by Milla NissiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stefano Rellandini, Thomas Raynaud, Raynaud, Stéphanie Hamel, Victor Goury, Milla Nissi Organizations: REUTERS, French, Orange, Telecommunications, Free Mobile, U.S, Telecom Italia's, Vodafone, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, France, Poland, Europe, Laffont, Gdansk

The logo of Russian technology giant Yandex is on display at the company's headquarters in Moscow, Russia December 9, 2022. Moscow already demands a 50% discount on all foreign deals after consultants selected by the Russian government have valued the business. But three people familiar with the exit process for foreign companies said that some deals are facing demands for additional discounts before the government gives a green light. Another person, who works on M&A transactions and with foreign companies, said deals exceeding $100 million were at particular risk of being denied. In its biannual financial stability review, the central bank said foreign companies under pressure to leave Russia were doing so on "unfavourable" terms.

Persons: Evgenia, Carlsberg's, Intesa, Vladimir Putin's, Suren Gortsunyan, Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Alexey Kupriyanov, Elena Fabrichnaya, Alexander Marrow, Victor Goury, Josephine Mason, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Heineken, Arnest, Companies, Nasdaq, Russia, Dyakin, Partners, Aspring, Nato, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Russian, London, Laffont, Gdansk

☆ Atos lifts sales target, expands divestment plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The logo of French IT consulting firm Atos is seen on its new supercomputer BullSequana XH3000 during a news conference in Paris, France, February 16, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah MeyssonnierJuly 28 (Reuters) - France's Atos (ATOS.PA) raised its annual organic revenue target on Friday, pointing to improving commercial traction and high demand, and said it planned further divestments. Atos expects to achieve the initial divestment target by the end of 2023, when the sale of its sustainability consultancy unit Ecoact to Schneider Electric (SCHN.PA) is completed. "We have already received signals of interest for assets we've identified in our supplementary divestment plan," Senior Executive Vice President Diane Galbe said in a call with journalists. Atos's revenue for the six months through June was 5.5 billion euros ($6 billion), slightly below the 5.57 billion euros expected by analysts polled by Refinitiv Eikon.

Persons: Atos, Sarah Meyssonnier, Ecoact, Diane Galbe, Refinitiv Eikon, Victor Goury, Milla Nissi Organizations: REUTERS, Schneider Electric, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Laffont, Gdansk

The loss was a result of the closure of its Russian operations in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The previous margin record was set in the second-half of 2017, when it stood at 7%. Renault aims to reach an 8% margin by 2025 and 10% by 2030. The French carmaker on Wednesday agreed with Nissan (7201.T) on a new structure for their decades-old partnership. The Japanese group will invest up to $663 million in Renault's planned electric unit Ampere, while the French carmaker will reduce its Nissan stake to put their relationship on equal footing.

Persons: Luca de Meo, Victor Goury, Gilles Guillaume, Kirsti Knolle, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Renault, TECH Electric, Peugeot, Citroen, Nissan, Volkswagen, Thomson Locations: Dacia, Ukraine, French

☆ Dassault Systemes' flagship platform sales slow, but targets confirmed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Victor Goury-Laffont | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It confirmed its full-year and mid-term targets, saying it saw a renewed focus on investment in innovation from customers and pointing to a rebound in China. The group's shares slid as much as 6.7% however, putting them on track for their biggest one-day drop since April. JPMorgan said in a note that the overall picture looked "incrementally challenging" after important performance indicators, including for its flagship software platform 3DEXPERIENCE and clinical trial platform Medidata, slowed in the quarter. For the third quarter, Dassault Systemes expects revenue to reach between 1.4 billion and 1.42 billion euros, diluted earnings to come in between 0.26 and 0.27 euros per share, and an operating margin of between 30.2 and 30.5%. ($1 = 0.9034 euros)Reporting by Victor Goury-Laffont; Editing by Kirsti Knolle and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Victor Goury, Kirsti Knolle, Jan Harvey Organizations: Dassault, JPMorgan, Dassault Systemes, Thomson Locations: China

☆ Atos, tech giants join forces on ethernet consortium
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

July 19 (Reuters) - A group of tech industry actors including Meta (META.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Intel (INTC.O) and France's Atos (ATOS.PA) have teamed up to form an ethernet consortium in a bid to build up networks suited for artificial intelligence, Atos announced on Wednesday. The consortium will work on minimizing communication stack changes while maintaining and promoting ethernet interoperability, is said in a statement. Other founding members include AMD, Arista, Broadcom, Cisco, and HPE. Reporting by Victor Goury-Laffont, editing by Tassilo HummelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: France's, Atos, Victor Goury, Tassilo Hummel Organizations: Meta, Microsoft, Intel, AMD, Arista, Broadcom, Cisco, Thomson

☆ Teleperformance signs $185 million deal with Microsoft to launch GenAI tool
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 20 (Reuters) - France's Teleperformance (TEPRF.PA) signed a $185 million deal with Microsoft (MSFT.O) to launch its proprietary TP GenAI, the outsourcing group said on Tuesday, ahead of its artificial intelligence investor day. Teleperformance SE will host on Wednesday a virtual meeting with its AI experts to let investors peek behind the curtains of its efforts in the AI race. Teleperformance, which employs 410,000 staff in 170 countries, hosts conference calls, maintains pay and salary accounts, and provides automated translations to clients. Teleperformance said at the time that it predicts that 20% to 30% of its processes will be automated within the next three years. ($1 = 0.9163 euro)Reporting by Alessandro Parodi and Victor Goury-Laffont; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Teleperformance, Bhupender Singh, Alessandro Parodi, Victor Goury, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Microsoft, Thomson

May 16 (Reuters) - French video game producer Ubisoft (UBIP.PA) posted the biggest operating loss in company's history on Tuesday but stuck to its guidance for the current financial year, citing a renewed focus on blockbuster titles. The maker of the hit "Rainbow Six" franchise posted a full-year non-IFRS operating loss of 500.2 million euros ($550.6 million), in line with a target announced in its January profit warning. The family-run firm has been dogged by game cancellations and delays in recent years, booking a writedown estimate of around 500 million euros in 2022 due to research and development expenses. The Paris-listed publisher confirmed its estimate for a full-year core profit of around 400 million euros, while forecasting first-quarter net bookings of around 240 million euros. ($1 = 0.9084 euros)Reporting by Victor Goury-Laffont and Enrico Sciacovelli; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ These European companies cut jobs this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TECH* ERICSSON (ERICb.ST): the telecom equipment maker will lay off 8,500 employees globally as part of its plan to cut costs, a memo seen by Reuters said. * NOKIA (NOKIA.HE): the Finnish telecom equipment maker said on May 3 it plans to cut up to 208 jobs in Finland. * PHILIPS (PHG.AS): the Dutch medical equipment maker on Jan. 30 said it would cut 6,000 jobs to counter falling sales and after a massive recall of its respiratory machines. * SAP (SAPG.DE): the German software company said on Jan. 26 it planned to shed 3,000 jobs, 2.5% of its global workforce, to cut costs and focus on its cloud business. * EVONIK (EVKn.DE): the German specialty chemicals producer said on April 3 it would cut 200 jobs as part of restructuring of its pet food unit.

May 4 (Reuters) - French IT consulting group Capgemini (CAPP.PA) on Thursday reported weaker revenue growth in the first quarter of 2023, compared with the year-ago period, citing a tense economic environment with clients adopting a "wait-and-watch stance". Still, the company's quarterly revenue reached 5.73 billion euros ($6.35 billion), 10.9% above the first three months in 2022. The Paris-based company reiterated its outlook for 2023, pointing to revenue growth in a range between 4% and 7% in constant currency terms, down from a 21.1% increase in 2022, and an operating margin between 13.0% and 13.2%. "The economic context remains tense (...) It's all about postponements, but our clients' agenda hasn't changed, digital transformation remains their priority", Ezzat added. Growth in new hires remains strong in tech products, the CEO specified, including research on generative AI.

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