Thomas Barnet

Pershing Square offers to acquire Universal Music Group (UMG) for EUR55.8bn

Bill Ackman's Pershing Square intends to acquire Universal Music Group in a cash-and-stock deal valued at EUR30.40 per share of the former Vivendi subsidiary, representing a 78% premium over its current valuation (EUR17.10). According to our calculations, the transaction would be worth EUR55.75bn, based on 1.833 billion shares outstanding.

07 April 2026 at 04:50 pm AEST

France analyst calls: Action on Danone, JCDecaux and Worldline

Among today’s changes, Accor, Air Liquide, Danone and Getlink are seeing shifts in price targets. TD Cowen turns bullish on JCDecaux.

07 April 2026 at 04:36 pm AEST

Pershing Square offers to buy Universal Music Group (UMG) for €55.8bn

Pershing Square, Bill Ackman's fund, intends to buy Universal Music Group through a cash and stock offer that would value the former Vivendi unit at €30.40 per share, a 78% premium to its current valuation (€17.10). By our calculations, the deal would come to €55.75bn, based on 1.833bn shares outstanding.

07 April 2026 at 04:31 pm AEST

TotalEnergies partners Masdar in Asian renewables push

TotalEnergies and Masdar are set to form a 50/50 joint venture valued at $2.2bn. The entity will consolidate their onshore renewable energy operations across nine Asian countries, aiming to capitalize on the region's surging electricity demand.

02 April 2026 at 06:22 pm AEDT

KKR becomes latest to curb redemptions in private credit fund

KKR has restricted redemption requests in its K-FIT fund following an unprecedented surge in withdrawals, signaling growing anxiety surrounding the private credit market, Bloomberg reports.

02 April 2026 at 06:09 pm AEDT

TotalEnergies partners with Masdar for Asian renewables

TotalEnergies and Masdar are set to form a 50/50 joint venture valued at $2.2 billion. The entity will consolidate their onshore renewable energy operations across nine Asian countries to capitalize on the region's surging electricity demand.

02 April 2026 at 05:48 pm AEDT

France Analyst Views: EssilorLuxottica Less in Favor, Targets Raised on TotalEnergies and Nanobiotix

Today’s selection includes luxury names, electrical equipment makers and property companies.

02 April 2026 at 05:40 pm AEDT

KKR, in turn, puts the brakes on withdrawals from a private credit fund

KKR capped redemption requests in its K-FIT fund after an unprecedented wave of withdrawals, a sign of rising worries around private credit, Bloomberg learned.

02 April 2026 at 05:29 pm AEDT

Explainer: GmbH, NV, KGaA, Plc, SpA, Oyj, SGPS… what are we talking about?

Have you ever wondered why there are two pharmaceutical companies with the same name on the stock market, Merck & Co, Inc. and Merck KGaA? And for that matter, what do "Inc" and "KGaA" actually mean? From SE and Inc. to Ltd and SpA… let's dive into the acronyms that typically follow the names of listed companies.

01 April 2026 at 07:03 pm AEDT

Explainer: GmbH, NV, KGaA, Plc, SpA, Oyj, SGPS... what are we talking about?

You may already have wondered why there are two pharmaceutical companies with the same name in the stock market, Merck & Co, Inc. and Merck KGaA. And for that matter, what do "Inc" and "KGaA" mean? And SE, Inc., Ltd, SpA... Let's dive into the acronyms that usually come at the end of listed companies' names.

01 April 2026 at 06:37 pm AEDT

French Analyst Ratings: Fresh Bullish Views on Engie, Safran, and Unibail

Aerospace is in the spotlight this morning as Wells Fargo initiates coverage on the European sector. Unibail and Engie benefit from upgrades, while Barclays raises its price target for Carrefour.

01 April 2026 at 05:33 pm AEDT

Legrand

As part of its active bolt-on acquisition strategy, Legrand has announced two new external growth operations in the data center sector, involving Keydak in China and TES in the United Kingdom. A Chinese leader in racks based in Guangzhou, Keydak employs over 330 people and generates annual revenue exceeding 60 million euros. Its acquisition remains subject to customary conditions precedent. A European specialist in power distribution systems, with more than half of its revenue derived from data centers, Cookstown-based TES employs 280 people with annual sales of nearly 85 million euros.

01 April 2026 at 05:25 pm AEDT

JCDecaux

JCDecaux has announced the signing, on March 30, of an agreement to acquire Vista Communications, a Tokyo-based Japanese company specializing in taxi shelter advertising. Since 2012, Vista has operated 29 taxi shelters in Tokyo, representing 58 advertising faces, including 7 digital screens, primarily located in the high-traffic districts of Shibuya, Roppongi, Shinjuku, Shinagawa, Akihabara, and Ueno. This acquisition will strengthen JCDecaux's presence in Tokyo through its joint venture MCDecaux, and marks its entry into the taxi shelter segment in Japan, complementing its existing portfolio of over 850 B-Stops in the Japanese capital.

01 April 2026 at 05:25 pm AEDT

TFF Group

TFF Group (Tonnellerie François Frères) has announced the completion of its acquisition of the remaining 45% stake in Tonnellerie Rémond. The world leader in wine and spirits aging products now holds 100% of this artisanal gem, sealing a strategic integration that began four years ago. In accordance with the shareholders' agreement signed in March 2022, which set a final deadline for 2028, TFF Group elected to accelerate the timeline to take full control of the entity as of this spring 2026. This transaction also marks a historic turning point for Tonnellerie Rémond, as it formalizes the final handover from Catherine Desbois-Mouchel, the prominent figurehead who led the house for 37 years. Under TFF's stewardship, an autonomous and sustainable organizational structure has been established to ensure the continuity of this French oak barrel institution.

01 April 2026 at 05:24 pm AEDT

Atos

Atos has announced the completion of the sale of Bull, its advanced computing business, to the French State for an enterprise value of up to 404 million euros, marking a new milestone in its strategic refocusing. The total includes 104 million euros in conditional earn-outs, a slight decrease from the 110 million initially projected when the agreement was signed in July 2025. This adjustment reflects a change in the transaction perimeter, with the exclusion of zData, an entity specializing in Big Data solutions.

01 April 2026 at 05:24 pm AEDT

Air Liquide, Helium and the Middle East Conflict

Behind the rising tensions in the Middle East, specific shortages are emerging: helium, for instance. Discreet yet essential for semiconductors, medical imaging, and aerospace, this gas is facing severe supply constraints. To what extent will the world leader, Air Liquide, benefit from this?

31 March 2026 at 08:46 pm AEDT

Air Liquide, Helium, and the Middle East Conflict

Behind the rising tensions in the Middle East, specific shortages are emerging: helium, for instance. Discreet yet essential for semiconductors, medical imaging, and aerospace, this gas is facing severe supply constraints. To what extent will the global leader, Air Liquide, benefit from this situation?

31 March 2026 at 06:57 pm AEDT

Air Liquide, Helium, and the Middle East Conflict

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, specific shortages are beginning to surface: helium, for instance. Discreet yet indispensable for semiconductors, medical imaging, and aerospace, this gas is facing severe supply constraints. To what extent will the global leader, Air Liquide, benefit from this situation?

31 March 2026 at 06:55 pm AEDT

French Analyst Ratings: Updates on Crédit Agricole, GTT and Nanobiotix

Brokers are trimming price targets on blue-chip heavyweights such as Kering and Schneider. Conversely, Veolia, Nanobiotix and GTT see their valuations revised upward.

31 March 2026 at 05:46 pm AEDT

Did Pete Hegseth attempt to buy a defense ETF before the Iran strike?

According to the Financial Times, a broker linked to Pete Hegseth allegedly attempted to invest several million dollars in an arms-focused fund shortly before the US-Israeli strike against Iran. The move reportedly fell through, according to several sources, or never occurred at all, according to the Pentagon.

31 March 2026 at 05:37 pm AEDT

Did Pete Hegseth Try to Buy a Defense ETF Ahead of the Iran Strike?

According to the Financial Times, a broker linked to Pete Hegseth allegedly tried to invest several million dollars in a fund focused on weapons makers shortly before the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran. The effort reportedly fell through, according to multiple sources, or never happened at all, according to the Pentagon.

31 March 2026 at 03:34 pm AEDT