Stories related to: acquisitions

Rumors that Microsoft is about to buy Facebook are just rumors: Despite the press corps’ desire to keep the Microsoft acquisition jones alive, it's not going to happen anytime soon, writes David Kirkpatrick in Forbes . And talk of the Yahoo deal suddenly resurfacing? Forget about it. Still, Microsoft may be interested in Facebook far down the road—the possibility of gaining the bank of personal info is endlessly tempting. More »

MySpace fell short of revenue targets in the most recent quarter, but, Adam Ostrow argues in Mashable, it’s still proven a phenomenal deal since Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. bought it for $580 million in 2005. Revenues from its unit are pulling close to its purchase price and it’s on track to make more with music downloads, sponsorships and targeted ads. More »

At least seven lawsuits already have been filed against Yahoo for its handling of Microsoft’s bid to acquire the Internet portal and lawyers say the company is likely to face more, reports Reuters. Microsoft withdrew a $33-per-share offer Saturday—a 70% premium above Yahoo’s share price three months ago when Microsoft launched its bid—after Yahoo demanded $37. More »

M&Ms-maker Mars, backed by Warren Buffett, has made a deal to buy Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. for about $23 billion, reports the New York Times . The acquisition is likely to force other candy makers like Hershey and Cadbury Schweppes into mergers to maintain market share against a powerful conglomerate of recognized brands with global presence. More »

Microsoft won't raise its $44.6 billion takeover bid for Yahoo despite the Internet firm's strong first-quarter earnings, Bloomberg reports. "We are prepared to go forward without a merger," said CEO Steve Ballmer, who has threatened a proxy shareholder revolt to push the deal through, possibly at a lower price, if Yahoo didn’t agree to the original bid by Saturday. More »

Warren Buffett is looking to put some of Berkshire Hathaway’s $40 billion in cash to work outside the US, targeting family-owned European businesses for acquisition, reports Bloomberg. Buffett—who Forbes magazine says is the world’s richest person--is going on a scouting tour next month to four European cities. More »

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. empire is closing in on a deal to buy Newsday from the Tribune Company for an $850 million package, reports Reuters. Under the terms of the deal, Newsday would be run as a joint venture with the New York Post , but the papers would remain separate for now. Tribune would get $550 million in cash and retain a 5% stake in Newsday . More »

Movie-rental chain Blockbuster went public today with an offer to buy struggling consumer electronics retailer Circuit City for between $6 and $8 a share, reports the Wall Street Journal. Blockbuster made the offer—worth up to $1.35 billion—in February, but said Circuit City hasn’t opened its books. Circuit City closed at $3.90 Friday. More »

Yahoo received a tepid endorsement from its second-largest shareholder yesterday as its takeover battle with suitor Microsoft continued to heat up, the Wall Street Journa l reports. Legg Mason, which holds a 7% stake in Yahoo, said it would back an independent Yahoo before it would sell its stake at a reduced price—and Microsoft's CEO "blundered" by threatening to go that route. More »

A $3 billion bid for control of Australia's Consolidated Media Holdings by Rupert Murdoch’s son, Lachlan, is dead in the water after Murdoch’s financial backers and CMH—a major magazine and TV player—failed to agree to a price for the takeover, the Australian reports today. The original deal set a $4.80 share price; Murdoch’s equity partners, Providence Equity Partners, would only pay $4.60. More »

Yahoo execs fired back a response this morning to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's weekend ultimatum giving the Yahoo board a deadline of 3 weeks to avoid a hostile takeover. CEO Jerry Yang and Chairman Roy Bostock reiterated that the Microsoft offer is still too low—it has declined in value as Microsoft stock has continued to skid—but said they're still open to a sweetened deal. They accused Ballmer of being the one who's failing to negotiate. More »

French liquor giant Pernod Ricard's spirits were soaring after its $8.34 billion bid won it ownership of Sweden's state-owned Vin & Spirit, the parent company of Absolut vodka. Pernod topped US-based Fortune Brands in an auction for the purchase, the Wall Street Journal reports, and is now the wine and spirit industry's co-leader. More »

The Icarus-like fall of Bear Stearns stock, trading as high as $170 a share a year ago before plummeting to $2 last week, has cost Bear employees—who once owned nearly a third of the company—more than $3 billion. That's even after JPMorgan raised its bid for the investment bank to close to $10 a share, reports Reuters. More »

Bear Stearns shareholders are threatening to vote against its sale to JPMorgan, saying the $2 price per share for the nation’s fifth largest investment bank is unrealistic; speculators seem to agree, trading up Bear stock to $5.91 yesterday, a 23% bump. Expect some serious brinkmanship to force a higher offer or lure another bid, reports the Wall Street Journal . More »

JP Morgan has agreed tonight to buy Bear Stearns for a scant $2 a share, a bargain-basement price—stock closed at $30 a share—that demonstrates the urgency of staving off the collapse of the venerable investment bank and widespread panic in financial markets, the AP reports. The Bush administration and Federal Reserve have reportedly approved the all-stock sale, which was rushed today under federal oversight to avoid Stearns filing for bankruptcy, the New York Times reports. More »

Electronic Arts is renewing its $2 billion bid to take over rival Take-Two Interactive—but this time the offer will go directly to the video game maker's shareholders, in a sign the potential deal may be turning hostile, reports the Wall Street Journal. EA’s initial offer was rejected by Take-Two management, who said it undervalued the company, even though the $26 per share represented a 50% premium at the time. More »

Videogame maker Take-Two Interactive—owner of gamer favorites Grand Theft Auto and Bioshock—said first quarter losses jumped nearly 77% to $38 million while revenue fell some 13% to $240.4 million, reports the New York Times . But the company projected an upbeat 2008 with revenues growing 40% to $1.4 billion and earnings of $1.55 per share. More »

Microsoft, at loggerheads with Yahoo over its $41.6-billion offer for the popular web portal, is talking tough, threatening a proxy battle to unseat Yahoo’s reticent board of directors, reports the Wall Street Journal . But even a win, which experts say would be relatively cheap to achieve, could cost Microsoft in the form of Yahoo employee animosity and attrition. More »

Jerry Yang believes Microsoft’s $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo was too low because it does not take into account the company's “unique position” in the growing online advertising market, the New York Times reports. In a letter sent to shareholders today, Yang inventoried Yahoo’s advantages: its widely-known name, its monthly traffic of 500 million visitors, and its dominance of the display ad market. More »

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 »