Qatar's sovereign wealth fund has acquired a 7.25% stake in listed French REIT Société Foncière Lyonnaise (SFL).

Qatar's sovereign wealth fund has acquired a 7.25% stake in listed French REIT Société Foncière Lyonnaise (SFL).

Qatar Holdings, part of the Qatar Investment Authority, paid just under €137 mln, corresponding to €40.6 per share (ex-dividend), to acquire the stake from European listed property giant Unibail-Rodamco. The transaction will be settled on 5 May.

This is SFL's second infusion of equity from the Middle East in recent weeks. On 14 Dubai-based investment fund Dubai International Capital (DIC) become the third-largest shareholder in SFL with the purchase of an 8.55% stake.

DIC holds nearly four million shares in the Paris-listed landlord, representing a value of around €150 mln.

SFL is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange and operates mainly in the office sector in the Paris Central Business District. The company has assets valued at €3.8 bn and has a market cap of €1.8 bn. It is controlled by Spanish property group Colonial which holds a 53% interest. Colonial said earlier this month that is had shelved plans to sell off its stake in the French subsidiary.

Bank Crédit Agricole owns a further 14% in SFL, according to the company's annual report. Unibail-Rodamco acquired its 7.25% stake in March 2011.