Citrix Said to Work With Goldman Sachs on Possible Sale

Alex Sherman and Kiel Porter (Bloomberg) -- Citrix Systems Inc. is working with advisers to seek potential suitors for the cloud-services company, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based company hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to sound out buyers including private equity firms, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public. Interest has been limited so far as Citrix’s large market valuation means buyout firms would have to team up to fund a bid, complicating any possible deal, the people said.

An increase in the company’s market value over the past year is also making it difficult for private equity firms to offer a premium for Citrix, they said.

The shares rose 6.8 percent to $84.93 Monday, valuing the company at about $13.3 billion. The stock climbed more than 30 percent in the 12 months through March 10, despite management warning in January that they’re maintaining a “conservative outlook” on the next four quarters.

A spokeswoman for Goldman Sachs declined to comment. Representatives for Citrix didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Strategic Review

After reaching a standstill agreement with activist shareholder Elliott Management Corp. in 2015, and adding Elliott’s Jesse Cohn to the board, Citrix has undertaken strategic and operational reviews.

Last July the company announced plans to spin off its GoTo business and merge it with LogMeIn Inc., in a $1.8 billion deal to combine the rival online meeting organizers.

Citrix -- which is expanding its reach into cloud-related products -- provides services that help companies deliver applications and Windows desktops to mobile workers. Its management and security tools also help employees outside of an office do their jobs by accessing data and other information. The company reported net revenue for the fourth quarter of $908.4 million, narrowly beating the average estimate of $900.7 million.