UPDATE: Goldman Sachs Said to Gave Advised Another LinkedIn (LNKD) bidder (MSFT)

Fitch Places Microsoft (MSFT) Ratings on Review for Downgrade Amid LinkedIn (LNKD) Deal

Fitch Ratings has placed the long-term ratings for Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT), including the 'AA+' Issuer Default Rating (IDR), on Rating Watch Negative following the announcement Microsoft will buy LinkedIn Corp. (LinkedIn) for $26.2 billion. Fitch affirms the short-term ratings at 'F1+'. Fitch's actions affect $56.4 billion of total debt, including the indrawn $10 billion revolving credit facility (RCF). A full list of Fitch's rating actions follows at the end of this release.

The Rating Watch Negative reflects Fitch's expectation for structurally higher leverage, given Microsoft's intention to fund the LinkedIn acquisition primarily with new... More

S&P Places LinkedIn (LNKD) on CreditWatch Positive Amid Microsoft (MSFT) Deal

S&P Global Ratings said today that it has placed its unsolicited ratings on LinkedIn Corp. (NYSE: LNKD) on CreditWatch with positive implications.

The CreditWatch placement followed LinkedIn's definitive agreement to be acquired by Microsoft Corp. for $196 per share in an all-cash transaction... More

Pacific Crest Downgrades LinkedIn (LNKD) to Sector Weight

Pacific Crest downgraded LinkedIn (NYSE: LNKD) from Overweight to Sector Weight.

For an analyst ratings summary and ratings history on LinkedIn click here. For more ratings news on LinkedIn click here.

Shares of LinkedIn closed at $131.08 yesterday.

Moody's Places Microsoft (MSFT) Ratings on Review for Downgrade

Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") placed the Aaa senior unsecured rating of Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT) under review for downgrade following the announcement today that the company has agreed to buy LinkedIn Corporation for $26.2 billion in cash. Both company's boards of directors have approved the transaction, and, pending LinkedIn shareholder and regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to close around calendar year-end 2016. LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, a controlling shareholder with 11% of outstanding shares and about 53% of voting power as of the end of 2015, announced he supports the transaction. Microsoft's short term rating is affirmed and... More

Microsoft (MSFT) Debuts New Xbox Lineup, Hardware, Games at E3

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) posted the following to its Xbox Blog on Monday:

Today, at the Xbox E3 2016 Briefing, Team Xbox unveiled a new family of Xbox One devices, a host of new Xbox Live features and the biggest lineup of games in Xbox history. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer underscored the Xbox teams commitment to building a future of gaming beyond console generations and inviting gamers to play without boundaries.

Xbox is working to bring Xbox Live to all devices and networks PC, console, virtual reality and mobile... More