Thales Eyes Purchase Of Atos Cybersecurity Business: Reports
Thales is putting together a plan to buy Atos’ $1.41 billion cybersecurity business in a move that would break up the beleaguered IT services giant.
The Paris-based conglomerate and its adviser Centerview Partners have approached several investment firms including Bain Capital to discuss a deal that would have the private equity firms picking up the parts of Atos, No. 24 on the 2021 CRN Solution Provider 500, that Thales isn’t interested in owning, Reuters and Bloomberg reported Wednesday. Atos didn’t respond to a CRN request for comment.
Thales said in a statement Wednesday that it’s potentially interested in acquiring any cybersecurity asset that could be for sale but added that no discussions with Atos are underway on this matter. The company has no intention of moving into markets such as global IT services that it doesn’t serve already, according to the Thales statement.
[Related: Atos CEO Vows ‘Swift Turnaround’ After Issuing New Profit Warning]
Atos’ stock is up 0.09 percent to $37.03 per share since the acquisition reports were published, while Thales’ stock is down 0.5 percent to $18.22 per share over the same period. In addition to Bain, Thales’ advisers have also begun talks with CVC Capital Partners and PAI Partners over a possible joint bid for Atos, but the timing of such a move remains unclear, one source told Reuters.
Neither Bain, CVC nor PAI immediately responded to CRN requests for comment.
Bain, meanwhile, would use any joint buyout of Atos to expand its portfolio of tech assets in Europe, where it also controls Italian IT firm Engineering Group, Reuters reported. In such a deal, Thales would buy Atos’ big data and cybersecurity (BDS) arm, while private equity firms would swallow Atos’ $6.99 billion infrastructure and data management and its $4.38 billion business and platform solutions units.
Atos has rebuffed previous overtures by Thales for its BDS business and would view any move by private equity funds to launch a public offer and delist Atos from the Paris Stock Exchange as hostile and unwarranted, a source told Reuters. Similarly, the French government is expected to strongly oppose any break-up of Atos with…
