NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
Speculation is building that Siebel Systems Inc. could be a takeover target, according to a published report Tuesday.
The Wall Street Journal reported the speculation is sparked by last week's unsolicited bid for PeopleSoft Inc. by Oracle Corp. Siebel produces specialized business software, as does PeopleSoft. Siebel's helps companies manage customer information. But the paper said that the bid for PeopleSoft suggests that the days of independent niche software companies may be numbered.
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison reportedly told the Journal Friday that he has talked to Siebel founder and CEO Thomas Siebel in the past year about buying the company. His latest comment follows a statement by Ellison in April in which he predicted that "Siebel will vanish."
Siebel executives declined to comment on the possibility of a takeover, the paper said. But analysts say that due to its declining stock price in recent years the company already was a potential takeover target even before the new attention to possible deals.
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The paper quotes Bill Whyman, president of the Washington, D.C., research firm Precursor Group, as writing in a note Monday that Siebel "may be unviable as a stand-alone' company if Oracle succeeds in acquiring PeopleSoft."
Shares of Siebel (SEBL: Research, Estimates) lost 34 cents to $10.64 Monday, after gaining $1.38 a share in heavy trading the last three days of last week.
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