How LinkedIn Acquisition Will Help Microsoft

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and LinkedIn (NYSE: LNKD) on Monday announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire LinkedIn for $196 per share (a premium of 50% based on Friday’s closing price) in an all-cash transaction valued at $26.2 billion, inclusive of LinkedIn’s net cash. The deal is the third-largest acquisition in the technology industry, behind Dell-EMC ($67 billion) and Avago-Broadcom ($37 billion). The deal will be financed through the is...