Tag Archives: microsoft merger

Microsoft Yahoo: Is $32 now the magic number?

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Microsoft’s very well played game to win Yahoo at a bargain price is wrapping up even more favorably than Microsoft planned. Yahoo refused the Icahn MS offer today to buy just pieces of the company, though in typical fashion Yahoo did not outline many details of their decision making process, rather they simply asserted it was a bad idea.

Obviously this was a strategic rather than serious move by MS as noted by Henry Blodget, though he’s wrong to think this is just a small play to soften up the Yahoo board before the proxy fight in August.

In fact this is the end game of a very smart plan by Ballmer / MS to aquire everything for less than they have been planning to pay for over a year. Yahoo’s intransigence has simply delayed the process by a few months and saved MS a few dollars per share on what they would have paid.

Over at Silicon Valley Insider we have Henry basically begging for an offer over $31 and indicating support for less.

Yahoo board is now *begging* MS for the $33 they could have had easily a few months ago but may not see again. MS can get it all for less so I’m now guessing the meeting offer will be $31 or $32. That will make MS look generous for keeping to the original plan in the face of a weakening Yahoo, and it will be acceptable to shareholders fearful of YHOO at $18 or lower if this all collapses.

Although this is likely to be resolved at or soon after the upcoming Yahoo board meeting it doesn’t have to resolve to work in MS’s favor. Yahoo’s pretty much exhausted all their options to the extent that it’s either Yahoo in the 30 range with Microsoft or Yahoo under 20 without MS.

Disclosure: Long on YHOO

Yahoo Google Agree to Thwart Microsoft and Icahn

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The Yahoo Microsoft Merger saga continues as Yahoo and Google have signed an advertising pact in the face of mounting new pressure on Yahoo to sell to Microsoft.     Carl Icahn, corporate mega-investor, has purchased a large stake in Yahoo and was preparing to force changes on the Yahoo board that have led to a Microsoft takeover.   Today’s announcement appears to leave the Microsoft deal in the lurch, though I’m not clear yet why Icahn can’t fight a proxy battle to get control of the company and then back out of the agreement.    Based on today’s news that is not part of his plan, though anything is possible in the rapid fire take no Microsoft prisoners battle where the Yahoo board appears more interested in thwarting Microsoft than doing good for Yahoo’s shareholders who today saw a drop of 10% in shares as another potential Microsoft deal crumbled.    Last year Yahoo rejected $40 per share, and a few months back they rejected $34.   One does not have to have much imagination to wonder how long it’ll be before they are rejecting $25.

An interesting investment question right now is whether Yahoo is priced low or high given all the new information.  If, for example, a new board will come in within a year or so it’s very possible that MS will make another aquistion offer well above current prices.  A new board would probably view this favorably.   If true Yahoo’s a good buy now.   However if the stubborness will continue for years it’s not at all clear that Yahoo can dig itself out of the profit and morale busting hole it’s been digging for several years while Google was eating Yahoo’s lunch and serving it back – free – to Google investors and employees. 

Disclosure:  I have Yahoo.   Which means I have 90% of the value I had this morning.