Oracle to buy Hyperion

Software giant's mammoth shopping spree continues with $3.3bn acquisition

Database giant Oracle has continued its three-year shopping spree by agreeing to acquire business intelligence (BI) vendor Hyperion.

Oracle will pay in the region of $3.3bn for NASDAQ-listed Hyperion, which represents a 21 per cent premium on its closing share price yesterday.

The vendor’s recent buying binge has already taken in ERP monster PeopleSoft and CRM giant Siebel. Oracle has shelled out more than $20bn on acquisitions since 2004.

Hyperion - one of the big three business intelligence vendors alongside Business Objects and Cognos - achieved a turnover of $765m in 2006.

Larry Ellison, chief executive at Oracle, said: "The acquisition of Hyperion makes Oracle the category leader in the high growth enterprise performance management market.

"Hyperion's EPM software coupled with Oracle's BI tools and analytic applications form an end-to-end performance management system that includes planning, budgeting, consolidation, operational analytics and compliance reporting."

Hyperion chief executive Godfrey Sullivan, said: "Given the critical need for managers across the enterprise to align operational decisions with strategy, now is the right time for Hyperion to combine with a strategic partner like Oracle to
deliver the first, integrated end-to-end Enterprise Performance Management
System."

The deal, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in April.