CORRECT:UPDATE:IBM Agrees To Buy Unica For $480 Million
13 Agosto 2010 - 3:33PM
Dow Jones News
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) agreed Friday to
acquire marketing software company Unica Corp. (UNCA) for about
$480 million, a move the technology giant says will help customers
create better-targeted marketing campaigns.
IBM Industry Solutions General Manager Craig Hayman said IBM has
been looking to expand its marketing offerings and identified Unica
as the best option, offering $21 a share to Unica holders. That
price is more than double Thursday's closing price and the highest
level the stock has ever seen. IBM shares were down slightly, 0.4%
to $127.78, in midday trading.
IBM's focus has been shifting to higher-margin software business
to keep profit growing, and this deal is the latest in a rash of
software company acquisitions over the past five years, totaling
more than $11 billion. The company this month also purchased data
management company Datacap and finalized its acquisition of
analytics software firm Coremetrics.
IBM already uses Unica's services and shares a number of
clients, including Nordstrom Inc. (JWN) and Best Buy Co. (BBY),
Hayman said, adding that Unica's ability to provide both Web
analytics and marketing software as a package service fit well in
IBM's strategy.
"There was one clear leader in the space, and it was Unica," he
said.
Despite growing its software margins, Big Blue last month
reported difficulty expanding its sales in the second quarter,
citing currency pressures and an unexpected drop in contract
signings. The Unica deal, set to close in the fourth quarter, means
IBM can offer a more complete product to its marketing clients than
before, Standard & Poors Equity analyst Tom Smith said.
"It's a one-stop shopping total solutions strategy," he said.
"They want to offer customers everything, so they can come in and
do it top to bottom."
Gleacher analyst Brian Marshall saw the move as part of a larger
push to create a business intelligence product superior to IBM's
competitors. He said that while there are many services the company
offers, "intelligence binds them all together."
Unica's 500 employees will be integrated into IBM's software
division, which includes 5,000 consultants and a network of
analytics centers.
Hayman said Unica's chief executive and founder, Yuchun Lee,
will remain and become the segment's business leader once the deal
is finalized.
Unica has more than 1,500 global customers across a wide range
of industries including financial, retail communications and
hospital. The company has swung to the black in each of the past
three quarters as revenue has been rising of late.
-By Adam Cancryn and Tess Stynes, Dow Jones Newswires;
212-416-3261; adam.cancryn@dowjones.com
Unica (MM) (NASDAQ:UNCA)
Gráfico Histórico do Ativo
De Mai 2024 até Jun 2024
Unica (MM) (NASDAQ:UNCA)
Gráfico Histórico do Ativo
De Jun 2023 até Jun 2024