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Is BEA the Next Big Acquisition Target?

BEA, Cognos, and Informatica have all been named yesterday by a Credit Suisse analyst
By Jeremy Geelan
Article Rating:
October 9, 2007 04:00 AM EDT
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 15,401

BEA, Cognos, and Informatica have all been named yesterday by a Credit Suisse analyst Jason Maynard as possible acquisition targets in the wake of the SAP acquisition of Business Objects.

Another ramification of the deal is the impact it may or may not have on SAP's relationship with Microsoft.

In a note released to Credit Suisse clients yesterday, Maynard reportedly said: "The SAP/Microsoft partnership seems to have fallen apart as the two companies appear to be on a competitive collision course."

According to Marketwatch.com, the Dow Jones site, "to date, SAP has been pleased to see its software tightly wrapped with Microsoft's database software, thus pulling customers away from mutual rival Oracle Corporation"...but it remains to be seen, now that SAP is spending $6.8BN to buy Business Objects, whether that tight wrapping will continue.

Only last month, billionaire shareholder activist Carl Icahn increased his stake in BEA and urged managers to seek bids from potential buyers. "Shareholders would be better served to at least find out if they can get a large premium over the market for the company," told a reporter, adding: "It's very difficult for a stand-alone company to prosper in this environment, and in light of the very strong competition, it's almost dangerous.''  

Back then, in September, senior vice president of investor relations Kevin Faulkner assured an audience at the annual Bank of America investment conference in San Francisco that the company has no plans to follow Cahn's advice and sell.

"We think that we really deliver a lot of value to our customer base from a stand-alone basis," Faulkner said.

Credit Suisse's Maynard already triggered talk of an acquisition of BEA once before this year, in July, when he wrote in a note to clients that possible buyers include Oracle and private equity firms.

Published October 9, 2007 – Reads 15,401
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Jeremy Geelan is Sr. Vice-President of SYS-CON Media & Events. He is Conference Chair of the all-new International Cloud Computing Conference & Expo series, of the International Virtualization Conference & Expo series, of AJAXWorld RIA Conference & Expo series, and of the long-running SOAWorld Conference & Expo series. He's founder of Cloud Computing Journal, Web 2.0 Journal, AJAX & RIA Journal and other leading SYS-CON titles. From 2000-6, as first editorial director and then group publisher of SYS-CON Media, he was responsible for the development of all new titles and i-Technology portals for the firm, and regularly represents SYS-CON at conferences and trade shows, speaking to technology audiences both in North America and overseas. He is executive producer and presenter of "Power Panels with Jeremy Geelan" on SYS-CON.TV.

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