Worldline Rises 3.38% at Opening Following Capital Increase Approval
Worldline advanced by 3.38% to 1.5610 euros this Tuesday, January 13, after shareholders approved a 500 million euro capital increase and announced the sale of its PaymentIQ platform for 160 million euros. The group continues its North Star 2030 transformation plan aimed at refocusing its activities on payments in Europe.
Worldline Stock Rebounds After Recent Declines
Worldline's shares recorded a rise of 3.38% this Tuesday morning to 1.5610 euros, following three consecutive sessions of decline which saw the stock fall by 3.94% last Wednesday. This recovery follows the approval on Thursday, January 8, by shareholders of all resolutions submitted for voting, notably the 500 million euro capital increase. The operation is divided into two parts: a tranche of approximately 110 million euros reserved for Bpifrance Participations, Crédit Agricole SA, and BNP Paribas, and a capital increase with preferential subscription rights of about 390 million euros expected to be launched by the end of the first quarter of 2026. Technically, the stock is now trading below its 50-day moving average at 1.65 euros, indicating an underlying trend that remains weak. The RSI at 43 places the stock in a neutral zone, without excessive selling pressure, allowing for consolidation. The resistance threshold at 1.64 euros poses an immediate barrier: crossing it would pave the way to higher levels, while a decline would bring the price back to the support at 1.31 euros, tested at the end of December. The year-on-year performance remains catastrophic with a drop of 80.04%, illustrating the persistent investor mistrust towards the stock.
Group Accelerates Strategic Refocus with Sale of PaymentIQ
The group is accelerating its strategic refocus with the announcement on January 8 of the sale of its payment orchestration platform PaymentIQ to Incore Invest for approximately 160 million euros. This transaction, expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2026, brings the net cash proceeds from asset disposals between 510 and 560 million euros, including operations in the Mobility and Web Transactional Services segment, North American activities, and the electronic data management business sold to SIX. These operations are part of the North Star 2030 plan, which aims to simplify the scope and focus resources on payment activities for merchants and financial institutions in Europe. Analyst consensus remains cautious: Barclays upgraded its recommendation to market weight with a target price of 1.60 euros at the beginning of January, while UBS maintains a sell recommendation with a target at 1.25 euros, and Invest Securities targets 1 euro. The group confirms its 2025 targets with an organic revenue decline between 1% and 4%, an adjusted EBITDA between 830 and 855 million euros, and a free cash flow between minus 30 million and zero million euros. The performance over three months shows a decline of 38.1%, reflecting the extreme volatility of the stock in a highly competitive payment sector.
