Comments on: HP’s new warning on mergers… http://www.footnoted.org/urge-to-merge/hps-new-warning-on-mergers/ Michelle Leder's guide to what's hiding in SEC filings Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:06:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Michelle Leder http://www.footnoted.org/urge-to-merge/hps-new-warning-on-mergers/#comment-5634 Michelle Leder Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:35:02 +0000 http://www.footnoted.org/?p=1923#comment-5634 Thanks for your perspective, John. I didn't mean to imply that this was some sort of smoking gun. More like a curious addition, especially since HP only seems to include these statements on the so-called "big deals". They've bought other companies since Compaq, but that was the last time this warning was in their filings. Thanks for your perspective, John. I didn’t mean to imply that this was some sort of smoking gun. More like a curious addition, especially since HP only seems to include these statements on the so-called “big deals”. They’ve bought other companies since Compaq, but that was the last time this warning was in their filings.

]]> By: John http://www.footnoted.org/urge-to-merge/hps-new-warning-on-mergers/#comment-5625 John Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:51:26 +0000 http://www.footnoted.org/?p=1923#comment-5625 Did you seriously just try to read a hidden message into that language? Are you completely unaware of the legal landscape?! If HP is doing a merger and includes that language in its SEC filings, it is attempting to provide meaningful cautionary language to protect itself against plaintiffs' lawyers claiming that the stockholders were duped because they had no idea business decisions can turn out badly. If HP does NOT include language of that sort, it does not in any way reflect confidence in the transaction, it means the management team is being irresponsible! Keep looking in the fineprint for the "jewels", but this one should have been expected and no surprise to anyone. Go try to find other companies doing mergers and you'll see that they do the same thing. Did you seriously just try to read a hidden message into that language? Are you completely unaware of the legal landscape?! If HP is doing a merger and includes that language in its SEC filings, it is attempting to provide meaningful cautionary language to protect itself against plaintiffs’ lawyers claiming that the stockholders were duped because they had no idea business decisions can turn out badly. If HP does NOT include language of that sort, it does not in any way reflect confidence in the transaction, it means the management team is being irresponsible!

Keep looking in the fineprint for the “jewels”, but this one should have been expected and no surprise to anyone. Go try to find other companies doing mergers and you’ll see that they do the same thing.

]]> By: dafydd http://www.footnoted.org/urge-to-merge/hps-new-warning-on-mergers/#comment-5623 dafydd Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:03:58 +0000 http://www.footnoted.org/?p=1923#comment-5623 May I just say "It's 'may not be completed in a timely fashion,' you twits!" in the general direction of the HP Legal Department? Really, did ~anyone~ try reading that sentence out loud? May I just say

“It’s ‘may not be completed in a timely fashion,’ you twits!”

in the general direction of the HP Legal Department? Really, did ~anyone~ try reading that sentence out loud?

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