The telecommunications leader Orange is a safe bet for investors. Read this article for important information about this major French company.
Orange is the leader of the French telecommunications sector and one of the largest telephone operators in the world with more than 250 million users. It is also active in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Orange was originally a British telecommunications company. In 2000, it became a subsidiary of the French public company France Telecom. Since the acquisition of Orange, all of France Telecom's brands have been replaced by Orange's. In 2013, the company permanently changed its name and brand to Orange. Currently, the company employs more than 148,000 people, about 60% of whom are in France.
Orange's main activities are telecommunications services and equipment sales. It is also active in the marketing of electronic communication services to a targeted customer base of qualified alternative operators. Orange's products are aimed at a broad customer base of professionals, individuals and businesses through Orange Business Service. Finally, Orange also offers banking and mobile banking products via Orange Bank and Orange Money.
The telecommunications company Orange is present in 27 countries, in more than 70% of European countries and in more than 80% of African and Asian countries. The Orange subsidiaries are:
Key facts and dates
Here are some of the events and dates that have marked the history of Orange and the French and British companies that preceded it:
The health crisis of 2020 has impacted many activity sectors, including tourism, transport, hospitality and manufacturing. However, the telecommunications sector is one of the few spared by the crisis. The services offered by telephone, mobile, fixed and internet operators are essential services that the population needs, especially during lockdowns.
Despite the COVID-19 crisis, Orange has a solid financial situation and excellent results at all levels, including services, business development and finances. But is this reason enough to invest in Orange stock? Let’s take a look at what the figures say.
Orange S.A. is listed on Euronext and the CAC40 on the Paris Stock Exchange. On May 3, 2021, the share price at the close of trading was 10.38 euros. A slight appreciation of 0.29% was noted compared to the previous day's price. Over the last thirty days, the prices have been stable and give a static trend.
Since January 1, 2021, the highest variation observed was 6.64%. The lowest share price in a year was 8,632 euros and the highest was 9,734 euros. Orange has more than 2,648 million shares with more than 800,000 individual shareholders.
Orange's shareholders are mainly institutional investors. Here is a breakdown of shareholders by category :
Orange is the leader in the telecommunications sector in France. In 2020, the group generated revenues of 42.3 billion euros and net income of 5.05 billion euros. Despite a slight decline in Europe due to the health crisis, the group's performance in Africa, Asia and the Middle East has balanced out the company’s results.
Orange announced an increase of +0.3% compared to the previous year on a comparable basis. In 2020, the company's general assembly decided on a dividend of 0.70 euro per share and 0.30 euro following tax proceeds. It should be noted in passing that the net result for 2020 included a significant amount of tax proceeds relating to a decision by the Conseil d'Etat in connection with an old tax dispute.
Here is the group's outlook for 2021:
