icahn

Carl Icahn targets Dell, HP before the PC goes 'downhill'

We know Carl Icahn wants to buy Dell. But he also has his eye on the other half of the U.S. PC industry. But don't worry, this will all happen before the PC dies.

The other half would be Hewlett-Packard. Icahn is pondering the merger of Dell with HP, according to comments he made to Bloomberg TV on Friday.

Michael Dell needs to be fired first, though.

"We think it's very important that you have a new CEO [at Dell]...We need more than a bit of a cultural change at Dell. Michael Dell, I just … Read more

Carl Icahn proposes alternative to $24.4B Dell buyout deal

Investor Carl Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management have teamed up to offer an alternative to the $24.4 billion buyout deal now before the company's stockholders.

The pair -- two of the computer maker's largest shareholders -- have proposed giving stockholders the option of holding on to their stock in the company and take an additional $12 a share in cash or stock, according to The Wall Street Journal and CNBC.

CNET has contacted Dell for comment and will update this report when we learn more.

The proposal, reportedly made in a letter to Dell's board of … Read more

Icahn to limit Dell stake but can talk with other investors

Activist investor Carl Icahn has agreed to limit his stake in Dell but will be allowed to speak with other investors about a bid to buy the PC maker.

In a filing today with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Dell said that its special committee has reached an agreement with Icahn. The agreement bars Icahn from buying more than 10 percent of Dell's shares or partnering with other shareholders to own more than 15 percent of Dell. However, as part of the pact, Icahn has been granted a limited waiver that allows him to "engage" with other … Read more

Dell CEO said to mull Blackstone buyout only with CEO assurance

It was assumed just a couple of months ago that Dell would go private with a $24.4 billion buyout under founder and CEO Michael Dell and private equity firm Silver Lake.

But several wrenches have been thrown into that plan.

Dell confirmed earlier this week that it had two possibly "superior" buyout bids, one coming from activist investor Carl Icahn and the other from private equity firm Blackstone. This means that if one of these two other potential bidders gets the prize, there could be a monumental power shift in the company.

Michael Dell is allegedly now … Read more

Dell board weighs competing takeover offers, report says

PC maker Dell has a competition on its hands to see who'll take over the company.

Until this weekend, a group led by founder Michael Dell had seemed to have things mostly sewn up with their $24.4 billion plan for putting an end to the Texas-based company's days as a publicly traded entity.

But now things have apparently gotten more complicated for Dell's board of directors. Reuters is reporting today, citing a source, that a special board committee is evaluating a pair of last-minute preliminary proposals, one from asset management firm Blackstone Group and the other … Read more

Dell buyout could be impeded by possible Blackstone bid

Blackstone is reportedly looking to get its hands on Dell before the Silver Lake and Michael Dell $24.4 billion buyout is complete.

According to Bloomberg, the asset management firm is supposedly considering a bid that could out-do what Silver Lake offered for the Dell acquisition. People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Blackstone has not yet made a decision and that it may bid as part of a group of investors. Reportedly, Blackstone has already reviewed Dell's finances after signing a non-disclosure agreement.

Dell announced in February that it had plans to take the company private via … Read more

Icahn, Dell enter confidentiality pact

Carl Icahn's quest for greater influence over PC maker Dell has moved into a new phase.

Icahn Enterprises this morning announced that, as of yesterday, it has entered into a confidentiality agreement with Dell. The only other element in the press release bearing the news was this terse and deadpan sentence: "Icahn Enterprises looks forward to commencing its review of Dell's confidential information."

In recent days, activist investor Icahn has been critical of Dell for its plan to transform itself from a publicly traded company into a privately held one. Under that proposed $24.4 billion … Read more

Dell responds to Icahn's criticism of going private

A Dell committee, made up of four board members charged with deciding whether going private is the right move, has responded to Dell investor Carl Icahn, who says it isn't.

In a February 5 letter, Icahn said that he and others do not "believe that [the Going Private Transaction] is in the best interests of Dell's shareholders and substantially undervalues the company." Instead of going private, Icahn would like to see Dell issue a special dividend of $9 per share. That should result, he said, in a stock price increase to $13.81, which, added to … Read more

Carl Icahn to take up stake in Dell, says CNBC

Carl Icahn is building a 6 percent stake in Dell, as the computer maker prepares to go public, CNBC reported today.

Unnamed trading sources told CNBC that Icahn has almost 100 millions shares and is urging Dell to pursue leveraged recapitalization instead of the buyout proposed by Michael Dell and investment firm Silver Lake.

CNET has contacted Icahn's company, Icahn Enterprises, for comment. The CNBC report said Icahn "wouldn't discuss Dell or any rationale he had for the investment."

Leveraged recapitalization is one of the suggestions made by Dell's top shareholders last month, shortly after … Read more