Jana pushes for a takeover

Article Excerpt

HARMONIC INC. $13 is a hold. The company (Nasdaq symbol HLIT; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 116.5 million; Market cap: $1.5 billion; No dividend paid; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.harmonicinc.com) makes a variety of products that help manage video and Internet data traffic for telecommunication providers, cable TV firms, and media streaming companies. Harmonic serves over 5,000 media firms, including Comcast NBC, BBC, AT&T and Al Jazeera. Ancora Holdings Group, which owns 2.3% of Harmomic, wants it to conduct a strategic review of its operations. In 2023, the company planned to sell its video business, but it ultimately decided to keep it due to a lack of viable buyers. The activist also wants Harmonic to consider finding a buyer for the entire firm. It feels the company could sell for $20 a share. Harmonic is a hold. hold…