Yahoo Fields Bids For 20% Stake In Company From Potential Partners

Yahoo has fielded offers this week from at least three bidders seeking a stake of about 20% of the company, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg reported, and the company’s directors will likely discuss those offers at a regularly scheduled board meeting Wednesday in Sunnyvale, Calif. Bidders includeprivate-equity firm TPG Capital and a group consisting of Silver Lake Partners, Microsoft Corp. and others. Separately the Chinese online companyAlibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Softbank Corp. are looking to buy back Yahoo’s 40% stake in Alibaba and 35% stake in Yahoo Japan, sources said. Yahoo is also expected to receive an update on a continuing strategic review of the company at Wednesday’s board meeting. Yahoo would like to strike a deal on the minority stake sale by the end of the year, but failing that alternatives will be considered. The bids received this week place a per-share value on Yahoo of between $16 and $18, the sources said. Yahoo seeks a slightly higher price. The aforementioned firms have signed confidentiality agreements that limit their potential purchase to a minority stake. Bain, Blackstone and other firms including Providence Equity Partners and Hellman & Friedman have not signed confidentiality agreements with Yahoo because it would prevent them from going after the whole company. Additionally, Thomas H. Lee Partners is investigating an offer for Yahoo’s U.S. operations such as Yahoo Finance and Yahoo News and an Internet advertising business, other people familiar with the matter said.