For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – August 24, 2010 – Zacks.com Analyst Blog features: Dell Inc. (DELL), 3PAR Inc. (PAR), Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ), EMC Corp. (EMC) and International Business Machines Corp. (IBM ).

Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:

HP Counter-Bids for 3PAR

Within a week after Dell Inc. (DELL) announced an agreement to acquire 3PAR Inc. (PAR) for a total consideration of $1.15 billion, the world’s largest PC maker, Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) made a counter bid. The intense contest for 3PAR is reflective of both Dell and HP’s goal to expand beyond personal computers to markets that could generate higher profits.

HP has offered a hefty $1.6 billion or $24 per outstanding common share of 3PAR. The total consideration reflects a 33% premium over Dell’s cash consideration. HP exited the recently concluded third quarter with a strong cash balance, which indicates that it could easily snap up an acquisition such as this one.

On August 16, Dell had signed a definitive agreement to acquire enterprise storage products manufacturer 3PAR Inc. in an all cash deal of $1.15 billion, reflecting $18 per outstanding common share of 3PAR. The offer price was an 86.5% premium over the closing price of the day before the deal was announced. Dell intended to integrate 3PAR’s storage solutions into its innovative storage portfolio to offer targeted solutions for every storage vertical.

Founded in 1999, 3PAR evolved as the leading provider of systems and software for data storage and information management. 3PAR pioneered in the creation of “thin provisioning,” which is a mechanism that applies to large-scale centralized computer disk storage systems, Storage Area Networks (SANs) and storage virtualization systems. Thin provisioning allows easy allocation of space to servers, as and when required. 3PAR’s primary competitors in the enterprise storage market are EMC Corp. (EMC), Hitachi Data Systems, International Business Machines Corp. (IBM ) and HP.

With the acquisition, HP intends to strengthen its innovative Converged Infrastructure solutions. The solutions bring together servers, storage and networking products to manage a data center from a common platform. 3PAR’s broad array of storage solutions would further augment HP’s converged infrastructure offerings, thus enabling the company to deliver an even broader platform to customers.

Want more from Zacks Equity Research? Subscribe to the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5515.

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks “Profit from the Pros” e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5517.

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it’s your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5518.

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacksresearch

Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts.

Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.

Contact:
Mark Vickery
Web Content Editor
312-265-9380
Visit: www.zacks.com

 

 

 
DELL INC (DELL): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
EMC CORP -MASS (EMC): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
HEWLETT PACKARD (HPQ): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
INTL BUS MACH (IBM): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
3PAR INC (PAR): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Zacks Investment Research