BEA Says It’s Worth $8.2B

It makes $6.7B offer for BEA, but Icahn and execs reject it as too low

(NEWSER) - Software maker BEA Systems is under pressure from shareholder Carl Icahn to sell, but executives say this week’s $6.7 billion offer by Oracle is too low. Icahn agreed the unsolicited bid wasn’t good enough but said he was pleased an offer was made, the New York Times reports. Analysts expect Oracle to raise its offer and get BEA. More»

Deal for business software maker closes after Ellison bumps price

(NEWSER) - Business software maker Oracle continued its yearlong buying spree, closing a contentious deal with middleware maker BEA Systems after raising its offer to $8.5 billion, or $19.38 a share, Bloomberg reports. In October, Oracle offered BEA $6.7 billion, or $17 per share, and was rejected. Instead BEA, one of the Silicon Valley's last midsize independents, demanded what Oracle termed an "impossibly high" $21. More»

Software giant says renewal not impossible, but highly unlikely

(NEWSER) - Software mogul Oracle made good today on its threat to drop a $6.7 billion offer to buy BEA systems, after the latter failed to meet the October 28 deadline. Oracle said BEA shareholders should "not assume" it will renew the offer, though it did not rule out the possibility, either, if shareholders were to force the company's hand, the Financial Times writes. More»

(NEWSER) - Oracle Corp. has agreed to buy Sun Microsystems, swooping in after Sun’s talks with IBM fell apart. Oracle will pay $7.4 billion, or $9.50 a share for Sun, the Wall Street Journal reports, a 42% premium on Friday’s close. Though Sun has been losing money, Oracle expects the deal to tack $1.5 billion onto its profits in the first year, and called Sun’s Java platform “the most important software” it’s ever acquired. More»

Oracle and Sun Microsystems may be only tip of the iceberg

(NEWSER) - Recent acquisitions by Sun Microsystems and Oracle could be the opening round of new Silicon Valley deal-making, the Wall Street Journal reports, as tech companies worried about a US economic slowdown seek to strengthen their positions. Smaller companies struggling to stay afloat are tempting targets; bigger fish also want to invest in building web-based software and services—a still-growing sector. More»