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Publicis catches Microsoft's Razorfish for $530 million

Posted Aug 10th 2009 8:00AM by Tom Taulli (RSS feed)
Filed under: Deals, Microsoft (MSFT)

For the past few months, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) had been shopping its interactive agency, Razorfish. Now, there is a deal: Publicis has agreed to pay roughly $530 million for the firm. The deal is part cash, part stock.

Razorfish, which got its start in 1995, has grown into a dominant player in web media consulting. Yet, this is really not a core business that Microsoft is interested in (the company inherited Razorfish in its $6 billion acquisition of aQuantive several years ago). If anything, it poses conflicts with customers that want to use the company's search and marketing software offerings.

Continue reading Publicis catches Microsoft's Razorfish for $530 million

Microsoft to unload Razorfish, Publicis looking?

Posted Jun 29th 2009 9:00AM by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed)
Filed under: Deals, Rumors, Microsoft (MSFT), Morgan Stanley (MS)

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has engaged investment bank Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) to help it unload digital agency Razorfish. Publicis (OTC: PGPEF) is looking for targets in the online ad space and could be a possible bidder.

Razorfish has been valued at $600 million to $700 million, based on a top line of approximately $400 million for its last fiscal year and peer margins of 12% to 13%. The company boasts 2,000 employees and clients that include Audi, Nike (NYSE: NKE) and Kraft (NYSE: KFT). Microsoft bought the company as part of a $6 billion deal to acquire aQuantive. At the time, Razorfish was known as Avenue A Razorfish, as the result of a merger sealed in the wasteland known as the "dotcom bust."

Continue reading Microsoft to unload Razorfish, Publicis looking?