FTE Orange

By Gabriele Parussini

PARIS--French President Francois Hollande said Sunday that his government is planning to keep stakes it owns in some of the country's largest companies because their share price is too low, but he didn't rule out sales in the future.

"Why--as far as companies such as France Telecom SA (FTE.FR) and GDF Suez (GSZ.FR) are concerned - are we not selling? Because we consider that their share prices are not high enough," Mr. Hollande said in an interview broadcast on M6, a French television channel.

Mr. Hollande added that the government stands ready to sell to raise funds for investment.

"This exceptional income will be assigned to investment (...) in new technologies, in innovations, in companies," Mr. Hollande said.

Write to Gabriele Parussini gabriele.parussini@dowjones.com

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