THLLY - Airbus in talks to buy Atos' cybersecurity unit at $2B enterprise value

2024-01-03 04:24:50 ET

Airbus ( OTCPK:EADSF ) is considering the acquisition of French digital solutions company Atos' ( OTCPK:AEXAF ) data and cybersecurity division BDS that would likely give the unit an enterprise value of ~$2B.

The European aircraft maker is interested in buying BDS to accelerate its digital transformation as well as expand its military and security offerings.

The companies will now enter a due diligence phase, but there is no guarantee that the talks will result in a deal.

Atos ( OTCPK:AEXAF ) has also received interest from French defense electronics firm Thales ( OTCPK:THLEF ), as per an FT report .

Debt-laden Atos ( OTCPK:AEXAF ) is looking to reorganize and reduce its debt, as it faces more than €2B in repayments in the coming two years. It is in talks with its banks to ensure they maintain financing, and provide refinancing when needed.

Atos ( OTCPK:AEXAF ) is also negotiating the sale of its legacy Tech Foundations unit, and is weighing further asset sales that would exceed its prior target of €400M.

Last year, Airbus ( OTCPK:EADSF ) had dropped its plan to buy a minority share in Atos' ( OTCPK:AEXAY ) division Eviden, which houses BDS and the company's cloud computing branch.

However, Atos ( OTCPK:AEXAY ) jumped 20% after talks to sell its BDS division restarted late last year. Atos ( OTCPK:AEXAY ) stock surged about 7% on Wednesday on the European stock exchange.

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