Commerzbank shares surge on UniCredit stake purchase

Investing.com -- Shares of Commerzbank (ETR: CBKG) surged 16% on Wednesday after Italy's UniCredit bought about 9% of Commerzbank’s shares.

This includes 4.49% purchased from the German government, which wanted to reduce its ownership in Commerzbank, and the rest was bought through other market transactions, UniCredit said in a statement.

The deal, valued at €702 million, makes UniCredit as one of Commerzbank's largest shareholders, reigniting earlier speculation about the Italian bank's interest in a potential takeover of its German counterpart.

"We believe the potential financial benefits are higher than in the simulation we ran in the summer (given CBK’s de-rating), but we wonder why UCG has not launched a full takeover at this stage and what could be the timetable, as this could result in lower financial benefits," said analysts at Citi Research

UniCredit plans to work with Commerzbank to find ways to benefit both banks. If necessary, UniCredit will apply for permission to increase its stake beyond 9.9%, the company said.

UniCredit purchased the entire stake at €13.20 per share, a premium over Commerzbank's closing price of 12.60 euros.

"The potential combination could benefit from the franchise expansion and the potential benefit of a banking union, but cost synergies benefit and CBK’s share price movements are key debating point in our view for the market, as well as expansion in a less profitable markets than Italy," Citi said.

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