Dell (DELL) on Monday confirmed that it has received two alternative buyout offers from private equity firm Blackstone (BX) and investor Carl Icahn. It was previously reported that Blackstone was considering a last-minute buyout offer for the struggling computer company that would be higher than Michael Dell and Silver Lake Management’s proposal of $13.65 per share. After conducting due diligence, Blackstone formally proposed an offer to Dell’s board that values the company in excess of $14.25 per share, while Icahn’s offer includes purchasing an additional $2 billion worth of Dell’s stock at $15 per share and offering $2 billion of cash equity financing.
Although both proposals offer higher value compared to Michael Dell and Silver Lake’s $24.4 billion buyout bid to take the company private, Dell’s board notes that it “has not determined that either the Blackstone proposal or the Icahn proposal in fact constitutes a superior proposal under the existing merger agreement.”
The company formed a special committee to review the details and has determined that “both proposals could reasonably be expected to result in superior proposals,” adding that it “intends to work diligently with all three potential acquirers to ensure the best possible outcome for Dell shareholders, whichever transaction that may be.”
