Sopra Steria Shares Surge 3.73% at Close Driven by New CEO
The stock of the IT services group crossed the symbolic threshold of 150 euros at the close on Friday, December 12, finishing at 150.20 euros, marking a 3.73% increase after opening sharply higher. This momentum is part of a remarkable weekly surge that saw the stock gain 11.51% over seven days, partially offsetting the losses accumulated over the year.
New CEO Appointment Fuels Optimism
Sopra Steria officially announced on December 11 the appointment of Rajesh Krishnamurthy as CEO, effective February 2, 2026. A French national of Indian origin, he has amassed 30 years of experience in technology, consulting, and large-scale transformation. Since 2020, he served as the CEO of Expleo, where he led a comprehensive transformation program. Under his leadership, Expleo's revenue increased by over 50% and doubled its operational profitability. This announcement comes two months after the unexpected departure of Cyril Malargé, who left for Alten in October, and appears to reassure the market about the group's ability to maintain its transformation momentum. The new CEO's track record demonstrates solid expertise in managing significant transformations. After 25 years at Infosys, where he held major commercial and operational roles, he joined CMA CGM in 2018 before taking the helm at Expleo. Investors seem particularly appreciative of his expertise in offshore models, a strategic asset in the current cost-control environment. Nonetheless, trading volumes remain limited with only 0.22% of the capital traded, indicating a movement supported by convictions rather than a massive influx of orders.
Technical Breakthrough in Stock Performance
From a technical standpoint, the stock has broken through its resistance level at 144.80 euros, opening up new technical prospects after several weeks of hesitation. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) now stands at 82, significantly above the traditional overbought threshold of 70, suggesting pronounced enthusiasm but also potentially indicating a short-term consolidation phase if buyers take a pause. The stock's position above the 50-day moving average at 134.74 euros confirms the establishment of a short-term upward trend. However, the significant gap with the 200-day moving average at 169.73 euros highlights the distance still needed to recover the year's losses. The MACD shows a positive histogram at 1.39, a technical signal supporting the current upward movement. Despite a year-to-date decline of 18.81%, the recovery over the past seven days has significantly improved the outlook.
Stock Market Recovery Amid Challenging Operations
This stock market recovery occurs in a still delicate operational context for the group. In the third quarter of 2025, Sopra Steria recorded a revenue of 1,315.8 million euros, down 3% in total variation and 2.9% in organic growth. Nonetheless, the group maintains its targets for 2025 with expected organic growth between -2.5% and +0.5%, and an operating margin rate aimed between 9.3% and 9.8%. Certain segments such as aerospace and defense are showing signs of recovery, bolstering medium-term prospects. The shareholder structure shows a solid foundation with a pact between the founding families Odin and Pasquier holding 19.58% of the capital and 29.9% of the voting rights. The group continues its external growth strategy with the early December acquisition of Neocase to strengthen its activities in human resources solutions, thus continuing the strategic refocus initiated by the former CEO.
