UPDATE 1-France's Eurazeo swings to loss, but well-funded

* Posts 2008 net loss of 61 mln euros

* Says well funded to seek new investments

* Shares up 6 pct (Adds details, shares)

PARIS, March 31 (Reuters) - French financial holding firm Eurazeo (EURA.PA) swung to a 2008 net loss of 61 million euros ($80.7 million) due to asset writedowns, but said it remained well-funded to exploit new investment opportunities.

The firm -- which has large stakes in wholesaler Rexel (RXL.PA), hotel company Accor (ACCP.PA) and food group Danone (DANO.PA), among others -- proposed maintaining its full-year dividend at 1.20 euros per share.

Eurazeo said its financial resources of 1.6 billion euros would enable it to continue to support its investments and "to seize new investment opportunities".

"It's better to arrive slightly late than to invest too early and incur losses," Chairman Patrick Sayer said during an earnings conference.

Shares in Eurazeo rose 5.98 percent to 20.11 euros by 0955 GMT, outstripping a 1.43 percent rise in the broader CAC 40 index .FCHI. The stock has lost 41 percent so far this year and fell 60 percent in 2007.

"The cash position remains under control but Eurazeo does not enjoy wide room for manoeuvre," Oddo Securities analyst Quentin Philippe wrote in a note, adding that this was probably what prompted the group to offer a flat dividend.

Eurazeo added that it fully supported subsidiary Accor's management strategy and had no desire to break up the group.

Earlier this month, former Accor Chairman Serge Weinberg and five other members resigned from the hotels and services group, amid a rejig of the number of board seats. [ID:nLC618844]

Eurazeo added that none of its group companies, which include B&B Hotels and unlisted car rental firm Europcar, had breached their covenants last year or faced refinancing deadlines in the short term.

The firm does not expect any firms to break their convenants in 2009, except in "extreme" scenarios, it said.

Eurazeo reported full-year sales of 4.054 billion euros, up just over 35 percent from a year earlier and up 1.7 percent on a like-for-like basis.

In 2007, it had a restated net profit of 901.1 million euros, boosted in part by the disposal of stakes in Eutelsat Communications (ETL.PA) and Fraikin. ($1=.7560 Euro) (Reporting by Sophie Taylor, editing by Marcel Michelson)