Shares of Take-Two Interactive
No, what's driving shares of Take-Two this morning is the news that Carl Icahn taking an 11% stake in the struggling video-game company.
Investors are assuming that Icahn will try to bring Electronic Arts
As long as Icahn realizes that EA isn't coming back at anything close to that price, he may be making a shrewd move.
Take-Two's fundamentals have collapsed since EA walked away -- black ink has turned to red ink. The stock was slammed earlier this month, when Take-Two warned that it would post a sharp loss in the new fiscal year, despite the release of several highly anticipated games, including BioShock 2 in February.
However, Take-Two's Grand Theft Auto is still a juggernaut, and it wouldn't surprise me to see a desperate EA willing to pay half as much as it offered last year. At today's single-digit prices, it would be a healthy premium.
However, Icahn has bitten off more than he could chew in trying to play matchmaker at Yahoo!
Given the industry's hazy state, one wouldn't blame Take-Two for letting an activist investor try to drum up suitors as an exit strategy. If EA isn't interested, there's a fair chance that Activision Blizzard
The clock is ticking at Take-Two. Let's hope the company gets it right the second time.
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