Could AOL Be About To Go Private?

The

reported that AOL

is discussing the possibility of going private with bankers, due to its falling stock price and speculation that it is a takeover target. According to the NY Post, a source said, “It doesn't help to be doing a turnaround in public. They could be more bold and take more risks.” However, AOL said in a statement that there is no deal in place. “Our strategy at AOL hasn't changed and we are moving faster than ever on executing against it.” Speculation has been rife that private-equity form KKR could be a partner having shed $1 billion in stock value since it was spun out of Time Warner at the end of 1999, but nobody at KKR has commented. It is believed that AOL CEO Tim Armstrong wants more time to turn the company around, but investors are fast losing patience. At the time of writing, AOL were unavailable for comment.