Atos Origin shares have ticked up after the Paris-listed IT services firm said it would "explore strategic options". The news comes less than a fortnight after the firm disclosed that it had received takeover interest.
The stock rose more than three per cent to EUR50.94 after the vendor said it had retained Rothschild and Goldman Sachs as financial advisers.
Atos Origin said on 15 March that it had received M&A interest but had not received any formal offer for the business. The group was responding to speculation that it had received a EUR4 billion approach from equity firm Permira Holdings and hedge fund Centaurus Capital. According to press reports the talks may lead to an offer of EUR58 per share.
In today's statement the group says its supervisory and management boards "strategic options to support the execution of the transformation plan, to further the group’s development while enhancing shareholder value".
The vendor says the review process will take place in a "short timeframe" to avoid disrupting its operations but cautions that this "exploration" may or may not lead to a transaction.