Telefonica Sells 8% Of PT Ahead Of Vote For Vivo Stake Sale
June 23 2010 - 12:09PM
Dow Jones News
Spain's Telefonica SA (TEF) said Wednesday it sold 8% of
Portugal Telecom SGPS S/A (PT), in the latest signal of widening
rifts between the two Iberian telecommunications companies.
A company spokesman confirmed Portuguese media reports about the
transaction, but no additional details were immediately disclosed.
At current market prices, the transaction could be worth some
EUR800 million. The Spanish giant, which was the single largest
shareholder in PT, still owns another 2% in the Portuguese
company.
The sale of PT shares comes as Telefonica is trying to gain
control of Brazilian mobile company Vivo Participacioes SA (VIV),
which is jointly owned by the two companies. PT shareholders will
meet next week to vote on Telefonica's unsolicited offer of EUR6.5
billion for PT's stake in Vivo after an earlier offer of EUR5.7
billion was rejected by PT's board.
Both Telefonica and PT control Vivo through a 50-50 joint
venture in the investment vehicle Brasilcel, which controls 60% of
Vivo. Both companies have been locked in a power struggle over
Brazil's coveted telecommunications market. Senior PT executives
argued the offer didn't value Vivo appropriately.
PT Chairman Henrique Granadeiro said in a television interview
late Tuesday that Telefonica would be in a conflict of interest if
it were allowed to vote on its own offer at next week's
meeting.
PT has also rejected a proposal from Telefonica to discuss the
distribution of an extraordinary dividend if the Portuguese
company's shareholders agreed to sell Vivo's stake.
-By Santiago Perez, Dow Jones Newswires, 34 913958119,
santiago.perez@dowjones.com
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