BEA Says It’s Worth $8.2B

Back-and-forth with Oracle continues; latter originally offered $6.7B for buyout
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 25, 2007 3:07 PM CDT
BEA Says It’s Worth $8.2B
The U.S. BMW Oracle racing syndicate owner Larry Ellison answers a journalist question during a press conference at the team base in the America s Cup port in Valencia , Spain, Tuesday, July 24, 2007. Larry Ellison anounced that three-time America s Cup winner skipper, Russell Coutts, from New Zealand...   (Associated Press)

The board of BEA Systems responded to a time-sensitive takeover offer from Oracle today, valuing itself at $8.2 billion—fully $1.5 billion more than the database giant's bid. Oracle’s $17-a-share offer, now two weeks old, will expire on Sunday evening if BEA doesn’t act on it. But the fiercely independent middleware company says a sale at that figure simply isn’t in its “best interests,” the Journal reports.

BEA's self-valuation of $21 a share comes after consultation with Goldman Sachs; the board said the number should be favorable for a buyer. The courted company makes products that act as technical middlemen, helping databases communicate with traders, managers and billing programs. Pressure to sell has come from aggressive shareholders, including activist investor Carl Icahn. (More mergers and acquisitions stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X