Dell

Like a lot of PC manufacturers, Dell (DELL) hasn’t been doing very well lately. And now unnamed sources have told Bloomberg that “several large banks have already been contacted about financing an offer to take Dell private.” Bloomberg’s sources also indicated that Dell is “in talks to go private with at least two private equity firms,” although the sources cautioned that any such deal “could fall apart because the firms may not be able to line up the needed financing or resolve how to exit the investment in the future.” A Dell spokesperson has told CNBC that the company “won’t comment on rumors and speculation,” but didn’t flatly deny the report. Trading of Dell’s shares was briefly halted in the wake of Bloomberg’s report, and surged by 12% immediately after trading resumed.

The global smartphone industry is expected to grow to reach $150 billion in 2014, and Dell (DELL) wants no part of it. According to Jeff Clarke, head of Dell’s consumer business, the company has no plans to re-enter the smartphone race anytime soon. ”It needs a lot of investments to really be successful,” Clarke told Forbes on Wednesday during the Dell World conference, and the company is apparently unwilling to make those investments. More →