On Friday, Schneider Electric confirmed that it had entered into discussions with Bentley Systems, a US provider of infrastructure engineering software.

In a brief press release, the energy management and automation specialist said it was considering a "potential strategic transaction" as part of its ambition to become the world leader in industrial technology.

The company states that these discussions are still at a preliminary stage, and that there is no certainty at present that a transaction will be concluded.

According to information from the Wall Street Journal, Schneider Electric is in talks to take control of the company, which has set up a special committee of its board of directors to study its options.

We believe that a combination would make a lot of sense from a strategic point of view, and would complement Schneider Electric's activities in the software sector," commented analysts at Oddo BHF this morning.

The scenario of an asset contribution, like the one carried out with Aveva (transfer of their own assets to the new entity, obtaining a majority stake and maintaining the listing) would be ideal for Schneider Electric and certainly welcomed by the market (limited cash outflow, good way to extract value from its software business, no dilution on EPS)', says the private bank in a reaction note.

On the Paris Bourse, Schneider shares lost more than 2% in early trading on Friday morning, the second biggest drop on the CAC 40 index behind Renault.

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