Is IAC Gearing Up to Sell Ask.com?

By Thomas Rasmussen

It looks like acquisitive IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI) could be gearing up to undo its largest buy ever, Ask.com. At least Barry Diller’s opening remarks during IAC’s conference call last week seem to indicate a desire to explore the possibility. The New York City-based Internet media company has successfully expanded into a content giant by snapping up dozens of Internet properties. IAC has inked 36 deals worth more than $4.5bn since 2002. Many of those purchases have been tiny (Airfarewatchdog.com, for instance), but IAC did make a significant pickup when it handed over $1.85bn for Ask.com in March 2005.

However, we suspect that Ask.com hasn’t delivered the kind of returns that IAC had hoped for, since the search engine remains far behind Yahoo (YHOO), Microsoft (MSFT) and Google (GOOG) in terms of usage. Still, with roughly 4% of US search market share, Ask.com would be a significant addition to any acquirer in the competitive scale-driven space, where every percentage point counts.

Though we won’t rule out a financial buyout, which would have more than a few echoes of the just-closed Skype carve-out, we think a strategic buyer for Ask.com makes more sense. Two obvious suitors spring to mind: Google and Microsoft. Although Google recently made its intentions for more acquisitions known and even signaled a willingness to do large deals again, we do not think it is likely to pick up Ask.com. Rather than make a consolidation play, we expect Google to continue to snare startups to offer additional services to existing users, while also bolstering its recent moves into new markets such as online video and mobile communications.

On the other hand, Microsoft has displayed a willingness to spend a lot of money in its game of catch-up with Google. With an acquisition of Ask.com coupled with its impending Yahoo deal, Microsoft could come very close to capturing one-third of all search traffic. While that would undoubtedly help Microsoft, a divestiture of Ask.com could also benefit IAC. Granted, it would mean slicing its revenue roughly in half, but IAC would have a cleaner story to tell Wall Street. And it could use some help in that area. Investors give a paltry valuation to the cash-heavy company, valuing the business at less than one times sales on the basis of enterprise value. IAC sports a $2.6bn market capitalization, but holds $1.8bn in cash.

IAC’s historic acquisitions and divestitures, 2002 - present

Year Number of acquisitions Number of divestitures 2009 5 4 2008 7 0 2007 6 0 2006 3 0 2005 3 0 2004 4 0 2003 4 0 2002 4 0

Source: The 451 M&A KnowledgeBase

Comments

[doodoo:]

Ballmer will probably give $5b for something like this.Hell he wanted to give $43b for Yahoo.He is likely pawing the cover off MSFTs checkbook as I write this note.The saying is stupid is as stupid does.If Buffet owned MSFT he would break it up into about 5 co. and use the $36b in cash to gobble up a few other co. to form a holding co. Ballmer just overpays for anything MSFT buys by a large margin and looks like the only way to keep him from overpaying is to refuse to sell to him like the dumb idiots at Yahoo.Brown Zune over and out.

Nov 09 07:44 PM