Shares in Vodafone rise 2.4 percent, on track for their biggestdaily rise since August and making the telecoms firm the top performer onBritain's FTSE 100, with four traders citing renewed talk about apossible sale of its Verizon Wireless stake.
The speculation was triggered by comments from widely-followed hedge fundmanager David Einhorn, who said he has added to his Vodafone position, arguingthat the market undervalues the "clearly quite valuable" steak in Verizon andthat, even aside from that, the stock benefits from an attractive dividends.
"Given the huge valuation disparity between what the market thinks VerizonWireless is worth to Verizon - at least a couple hundred billion dollars - andwhat it ascribes to VOD - about zero -, combined with Verizon's increasingdependence on Verizon Wireless, it wouldn't surprise us if Verizon decided tobuy all of VOD to gain full ownership of Verizon Wireless," Einhorn writes in aletter to investors.
"Maybe there is an investment banker with time on his hands reading thisletter."
Vodafone owns 45 percent of Verizon Wireless and the head of U.S.telecommunications giant Verizon Communications has said that it may buyout Vodafone. So far, there has, however, been no suggestion that they areinterested in the whole of Vodafone.
By 1300 GMT, volumes on Vodafone stand at around 70 percent of the 90-daydaily average, against just 38 percent traded on the FTSE 100.
Reuters messaging rm://francesco.canepa.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net
david.brett.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net
Vodafone (VOD)
