RABAT: The Moroccan government, which plans to sell an 8% stake in Maroc Telecom, will sell 6% of that this month as a block order to local institutional investors such as retirement funds, insurance companies and banks, the ministry of finance said on Tuesday.
The remaining 2% stake will be sold on the Casablanca stock exchange, where the company is already listed, it said.
The government owns 30% of Maroc Telecom, Morocco’s largest telecom operator, which announced on May 31 that the government would sell up to an 8% stake of the company’s capital.
The 6% stake comprises 52,745,700 shares, priced at 127 dirhams ($13.2) per share, which will be sold before the end of June, the finance ministry said in a statement.
Maroc Telecom is also listed on the Euronext exchange in Paris.
The 2% stake sale, totalling 17,581,900 shares, will take place on the Casablanca stock exchange as a public offering, the ministry said.
Besides Morocco, Maroc Telecom operates subsidiaries in Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Togo and the Central African Republic.
The sale would pump $1 billion into the state budget as a first step in a privatization program that is designed to cut the 2019 budget deficit to 3.3% of gross domestic product, from 3.8% of GDP in 2018.
The government also plans to sell the five-star La Mamounia hotel in Marrakech and the Tahaddart power plant in the north of the country.
Morocco favors local institutional investors in Maroc Telecom stake sale
Morocco favors local institutional investors in Maroc Telecom stake sale
Closing Bell: Saudi benchmark index closes lower at 10,540
RIYADH: Saudi equities ended Wednesday’s session lower, with the Tadawul All Share Index falling 55.13 points, or 0.52 percent, to close at 10,540.72.
The sell-off was mirrored across other indices, with the MSCI Tadawul 30 Index retreating 5.79 points, or 0.41 percent, to close at 1,393.32, while the parallel market Nomu slipped 74.56 points, or 0.32 percent, to 23,193.21.
Market breadth remained firmly negative, as decliners outpaced advancers, with 207 stocks ending the session lower against just 51 gainers on the main market.
Trading activity moderated compared to recent sessions, with volumes reaching 123.5 million shares, while total traded value stood at SR2.72 billion ($725.2 million).
On the sectoral and stock level, Al Moammar Information Systems Co. led the gainers after surging 9.96 percent to close at SR172.30, extending its rally following a series of contract announcements tied to data center and IT infrastructure projects.
Al Masar Al Shamil Education Co. climbed 4.89 percent to SR27.48, while Naqi Water Co. advanced 3.36 percent to SR58.50. Al Yamamah Steel Industries Co. and Al-Jouf Agricultural Development Co. also posted solid gains, rising 3 percent and 2.86 percent, respectively.
Losses, however, were concentrated in industrial names. Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. fell 3.67 percent to SR4.73, while Makkah Construction and Development Co. slid 3.44 percent to SR80.
Saudi Tadawul Group Holding Co. retreated 3.28 percent to SR147.50, weighed down by broader market weakness, and Saudi Cable Co. declined 3.18 percent to SR143.
Alkhaleej Training and Education Co. rounded out the top losers, shedding just over 3 percent.
On the announcement front, BinDawood Holding announced the signing of a share purchase agreement to acquire 51 percent of Wonder Bakery LLC in the UAE for 96.9 million dirhams, marking a strategic expansion of its food manufacturing footprint beyond Saudi Arabia.
The acquisition, which remains subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to support the group’s regional growth ambitions and strengthen supply chain integration.
BinDawood shares closed at SR4.68, up 0.43 percent, reflecting a positive market reaction to the overseas expansion move.
Meanwhile, Al Moammar Information Systems disclosed the contract sign-off for the renewal of IT systems support licenses with the Saudi Central Bank, valued at SR114.4 million, inclusive of VAT.
The 36-month contract is expected to have a positive financial impact starting from fourth quarter of 2025, reinforcing MIS’s position as a key technology partner for critical government institutions. The stock surged to the session’s limit making it the top gainer.
In a separate disclosure, Maharah Human Resources confirmed the completion of the sale of its entire stake in Care Shield Holding Co. through its subsidiary, Growth Avenue Investments, for a total consideration of SR434.3 million.
The transaction involved the transfer of 41.36 percent of Care Shield’s share capital to Dallah Healthcare, with Maharah receiving the full cash proceeds.
Despite the strategic divestment, Maharah shares closed lower, ending the session at SR6.12, down 1.29 percent.
