Cisco Systems Inc has been in talks with Splunk Inc about a takeover that could have been its biggest deal ever, but talks have stalled in recent weeks, people familiar with the matter said.
The companies are no longer in talks on a deal, and it’s unclear whether Cisco is still interested in Splunk, the sources said, asking not to be identified as the matter is private.
USD 20 BILLION OFFER
The Wall Street Journal reported on the talks, saying Cisco had offered more than US$20 billion to the software maker.
That sent shares of Splunk up as much as 16% late in Friday’s trading.
Cisco and Splunk declined to comment.
Cisco, which is due to release its latest results next week, has expanded its software and services in a bid to rely less on its branded networking hardware.
The company gave a lackluster revenue forecast in November last year, blaming it on a component shortage.
The Silicon Valley giant has traditionally generated the bulk of its revenue from equipment that forms the backbone of computer networks, but that has changed. Subscription and software revenue is expected to reach 50% of Cisco’s total by fiscal year 2025, the company announced in September.
A deal with Splunk would have been Cisco’s biggest acquisition to date, far beyond its takeover of Scientific Atlanta Inc for around US$7 billion in 2006.
Splunk announced last year that private equity firm Silver Lake Management LLC would invest $1 billion in the company.
News of the deal sent Splunk shares up as high as US$133.25.
The stock closed at US$114.51 on Friday, down about 1% so far this year.
Cisco slipped late in the session, falling less than 1%. It was down 15% so far this year.
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