Applebee's exploring options, including sale
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Restaurant chain Applebee's International Inc.  said on Tuesday it is exploring strategic alternatives, including a possible sale of the company, sending its shares up as much as 12.8 percent.
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The company may be hinting at going public.
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(InfoWorld) - Google and Intel have already expressed interest in the forthcoming 700MHz spectrum auction. Now, speculators say Apple may throw its hat into the ring. TheÂ auctionÂ is creating a bit of a frenzy because the winner will obtain some of the last available prime spectrum, ideal for delivering broadband wireless Internet access. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) expects to auction it off next year. While Google has said that it may bid in the auction, Apple's participation is pure speculation, and analysts appear split on whether it makes sense for theÂ iPhoneÂ maker to become a network operator. Apple's entry into the carrier business, while interesting to speculate, is difficult to imagine since the company already has a "sweetheart deal" with AT&T, said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Jupiter Research. In an unusual arrangement for the mobile industry, Apple is thought to receive a portion of the monthly service revenue that AT&T earns from iPhone customers. AT&T is the iPhone's exclusive carrier. Gartner analyst Van Baker finds it "highly unlikely" that Apple would be interested in buying the spectrum. "It's a very different business than they're in, and it's not something they have a whole lot of expertise in," he noted. Apple could decide to partner with another company that has more experience in the mobile operator business, which could make more sense, Baker said. Still, the arrangement between Apple and AT&T looks beneficial to both companies, so there probably isn't a significant incentive for Apple to want to change that setup, especially because the operator business comes with "lousy margins," he said. However, Apple might have at least one good reason for wanting to operate a network, said Avi Greengart, an analyst with Current Analysis. "They do like to control the end-to-end experience," he said. While becoming a mobile operator would be a "tremendous stretch" for Apple, it wouldn't surprise Greengart if Apple was considering it. An Apple network would likely be very tightly integrated with Apple products and come with very simple pricing, he said. Such a strategy could have a ripple effect across the industry. Operators tend to watch what competitors are doing and make adjustments to their own strategies accordingly, he said. Greengart and the others cautioned that they hadn't heard directly from the company or other sources that Apple was considering the auction. "But they're pretty good about being tight-lipped," Greengart said. Apple is known for being very secretive, with big announcements leaking out only days in advance, if ever. BusinessWeek first reported on the rumor that Apple might be interested in the spectrum auction.
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IHOP Corp.  said on Monday it plans to buy bar-and-grill chain Applebee's International Inc.  for $25.50 per share to expand beyond its iconic pancake houses, sending IHOP's shares up as much as 12 percent to an all-time high.
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The Motley Fool - Yesterday, I wrote about how everyone and their neighbor seems to gunning for a slice of Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL - News) iPod and iTunes business. And while I still believe it's possible for News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS - News) MySpace, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - News), and Sony (NYSE: SNE - News) to erode some of Apple's market share for downloadable music, I don't expect the company to passively stand by as revenues drop.
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A combination of National, Alamo, Thrifty and Dollar in a deal valued at more than $3 billion is being discussed.
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IHOP Corp.  said on Monday it plans to buy bar-and-grill chain Applebee's International Inc.  for $25.50 per share to expand beyond its iconic pancake restaurants, sending IHOP's shares up nearly 12 percent to an all-time high.
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Wendy's International is exploring a possible sale of the company, the nation's third-largest hamburger chain said yesterday, as it warned that profit for the year would fall short of Wall Street expectations.
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Take advantage of opportunities to get discounted pricing on companies.
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Applebee's sees slowing growth for 2005.
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Pancake restaurant IHOP Corp.  plans to buy Applebee's International Inc.  for $25.50 per share, the companies said on Monday.
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Explore powerful options available to mid-sized companies
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The Mac maker has big plans to expand its network of retail outlets by creating small versions of its stores.
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Rumors of an Apple-TiVo deal may be overdone.
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Speculation runs high over which of these companies might buy the Wichita plant -- perhaps by the end of the year. BY MOLLY MCMILLIN.
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Applebeeâs International, the operator of almost 2,000 restaurants, mainly in North America, said yesterday it might sell the company after its third-biggest shareholder accused management of failing to increase sales and cut costs.
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A reported tiff between the label and Apple could signal a new negotiating stance.