Michael Dell ups bid in last-ditch attempt to win buyout race

Shareholder vote delayed at the last minute again as founder puts an extra $150m on the table

With a shareholder vote on the vendor's future just hours away, Michael Dell has increased the value of his bid to take the company that bears his name back into private ownership.

In a last-minute attempt to sway stockholders, the PC maker's founder has upped his bid, which is backed by private equity house Silver Lake, to a cash consideration of $13.75 (£8.97) a share. The $0.10 increase equates to an extra $150m that will be paid to shareholders, according to an open letter to the acquisition Special Committee published today.

In recent weeks Michael Dell and his backers have come under fire in a series of increasingly caustic and personal statements from rival bidder Carl Icahn, which claimed, among other things, that the proposed management buyout (MBO) undervalued the company. Until now Dell and Silver Lake had declined to increase their offer, but with the shareholder vote due to take place later today, the chief executive has seen fit to add an extra dime to his proposal.

Stockholders will now vote on the two offers on the table on 2 August. This marks the second time the poll has been postponed, with the original 18 July date also being shelved at the last minute, seemingly to give Michael Dell (pictured) and Silver Lake more time to drum up investor support.

Today's missive from the vendor leader outlined that the new offer is "our best and final proposal", and that this will be the one and only time the MBO bid is increased.

Activist investor Icahn and his backers Southeastern Asset Management are determined to keep the company in public ownership. They claim their self-tender proposal offers shareholders a potential return of $15.50 to $18 a share.