Dell is in ongoing negotiations to turn private, with a finalized deal meant to be completed around this weekend, according to Reuters. There’s a buyout consortium headed by CEO Michael Dell and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners, who are prepared to pay $13 to $14 a share.
This will result in a maximum buyout price of around $24.4 billion. Microsoft is also rumored to offer a $1 to $3 billion contribution for minority ownership. Michael Dell’s existing ownership in the company is considered a possible conflict of interest, but the company has the help of advisory firm Evercore Partners to make sure everything goes smoothly.
The privatization will allow the company to make changes to the business, without facing conflicts with shareholders. The consumer PC division has been struggling lately in the current falling market, so a boost is welcome. The enterprise products coming from Dell have been considered profitable. What do those plans mean to us? Maybe the fact that Dell will finally get consolidated and start churning out some decent Android and Windows 8 tablets…
