WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal antitrust regulators cleared Hewlett-Packard Co.'s
$1.6 billion purchase of Opsware Inc., according to a notice issued Tuesday by
the Federal Trade Commission.
Hewlett-Packard agreed last month to pay $14.25 per share for Sunnyvale,
Calif.-based Opsware, a software company founded by Internet pioneer Marc
Andreessen. Opsware helps companies automate the management of their data
centers.
The deal is expected to close before Palo Alto, Calif.-based
Hewlett-Packard's fiscal year ends Oct. 31.
The FTC included the deal on a list of transactions Tuesday that received an
"early termination" of their antitrust reviews. Early termination refers to the
completion of a review before the end of a 30-day period required under
antitrust law.
Shares of Hewlett-Packard dropped 49 cents to $46.09, while shares of
Opsware rose 6 cents to $14.14 in morning trading Tuesday.
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