The LA Times via The San Francisco Business Times reports that Disney may be close to aquiring either all or part of Pixar. If this deal went through, Steve Jobs, the CEO of Pixar, would become a major Disney shareholder and possibly the company’s chairman.
“Analysts are questioning whether a full acquisition of Pixar would be a good move, even for a media conglomerate the size of Disney. Pixar’s market value is nearly $7 billion and Disney would likely pay a premium for the company.” says the article,
“Even under optimistic assumptions, the deal would likely be dilutive to Disney for the foreseeable future,” wrote Michael Savner, Bank of America Securities analyst in a report on Thursday.
Savner added other doubts about the rumored deal, “We also expect that there could be integration/cultural issues,” he wrote. “Arguably, what has made Pixar so successful is its independent culture and its singular focus on quality. The obvious risk to an acquisition is that both are sacrificed.”
Disney and Pixar have made no official statement.
Last modified: January 7, 2006