Morgan Stanley, holder of STC’s shares in Telefónica, reduces its stake from 13% to 8.3%

Telefónica chapa sede 1

The adjustment in the reported stake by the US firm is due to the expiration of a portion of the financial derivatives used to hedge STC’s position in Telefónica.

US investment bank Morgan Stanley has reduced its stake in Telefónica to 8%, a move that places the current value of its position at €1.726 billion, according to filings with the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV).

Specifically, the entity’s holding dropped from 13.091% of the share capital to 8.398%. This stake breaks down into 0.101% in voting rights attached to shares and 8.297% exercised through various financial instruments.

Following this position restructuring, Morgan Stanley controls a total of 476,180,167 shares in the telecommunications company chaired by Marc Murtra.

Based on its market closing price this Thursday of €3.625 per share, the stock package reaches a total value of €1.726 billion.

Furthermore, the resulting 8.398% shareholding in Telefónica marks the financial entity’s lowest percentage in the operator since entering its capital in September 2023, when it reached as high as 12.178%.

The operator’s major shareholders include the Spanish Government, through the State Corporation for Industrial Participations (SEPI), with a 10% stake; CriteriaCaixa, with 9.9%; and STC Group, holding 9.969%.

For its part, Telefónica closed Thursday’s trading session up 1.46%, trading at a unit price of €3.62.

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The Corner
The Corner has a team of on-the-ground reporters in capital cities ranging from New York to Beijing. Their stories are edited by the teams at the Spanish magazine Consejeros (for members of companies’ boards of directors) and at the stock market news site Consenso Del Mercado (market consensus). They have worked in economics and communication for over 25 years.