Nuance Up 8% On Rumor Samsung May Be Interested

Nuance Communications Inc. NUAN spiked about 10 percent on a report that the voice-powered technology concern may be acquired by Samsung Electronics SSNLF and private equity investors. The report, in the WSJ.com, noted that Nuance products are used in several Samsung devices as well as Apple Inc.'s AAPL Siri. Activist shareholder Carl Icahn holds a 19 percent stake in Nuance and is its largest shareholder, the report noted, adding that this may increase pressure for a sale or stock buyback. Nuance has performed weakly in recent quarters and 11 percent of the company's shares is currently held as short interest. Nuance traded recently at $18.77, up 9.77 percent.