BlackBerry stock rises as Lenovo BlackBerry acquisition rumours return

Lenovo might be well on its way to acquiring Motorola Mobility, but according to one report, the company is still eyeing up BlackBerry.

Around this time last year, Lenovo made Canadian headlines after it was supposedly blocked from pursuing a BlackBerry acquisition over security concerns. Now, the rumours are back. According to Benzinga, Lenovo is still interested. The site quotes a source that says Lenovo could make an offer on BlackBerry as early as this week. So. what’s changed since last year? Apparently, Lenovo’s plans to launch an IoT division next year (under a separate name and brand).

Neither Lenovo nor BlackBerry has commented on the rumours and it’s not clear if this new IoT strategy will be enough to sway the Canadian government, which last year refused to approve the deal on the grounds of national security. If that doesn’t maybe the offer itself will? According to the this morning’s rumour, Lenovo’s offer will far exceed the company’s current per-share value. Benzinga’s sources are saying $18 per share. If there’s truth to these rumours, Lenovo must want BlackBerry pretty badly.

BlackBerry stock closed at $10.70 on Friday afternoon. This morning, it was up 6.36 percent, hitting $11.48.

[source]Benzinga[/source][via]TechRadar[/via]