- Together, Cisco and Splunk will help move organizations from threat detection and response to threat prediction and prevention
- Combined, Cisco and Splunk will become one of the world’s largest software companies and will accelerate Cisco’s business transformation to more recurring revenue
- Expected to be cash flow positive and gross margin accretive in first fiscal year post close, and non-GAAP EPS accretive in year 2. Will accelerate revenue growth and gross margin expansion
- Unites two “Great Places to Work” with similar values, strong cultures, and talented teams
- The combination of these two innovative leaders makes them well positioned to lead in security and observability in the age of AI
San Jose and San Francisco, CA - September 21, 2023 - Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) and Splunk (NASDAQ: SPLK), the cybersecurity and observability leader, today announced a definitive agreement under which Cisco intends to acquire Splunk for $157 per share in cash, representing approximately $28 billion in equity value. Upon close of the acquisition, Splunk President and CEO Gary Steele will join Cisco’s Executive Leadership Team reporting to Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins. The acquisition builds on Splunk’s heritage of helping organizations enhance their digital resilience and will accelerate Cisco’s strategy to securely connect everything to make anything possible. The combination of these two established leaders in AI, security and observability will help make organizations more secure and resilient. In today’s hyperconnected world, data is everywhere, with every organization relying on it to run their business and make mission-critical decisions every day. Factoring in the acceleration and adoption of generative AI, expanding threat surfaces, and multiple cloud environments, it creates a level of complexity that is unlike anything organizations have faced. Organizations need a better way to manage, protect, and unlock data’s true value and stay digitally resilient. Together, Cisco and Splunk will address these challenges head on. The combination of these two established leaders with complementary capabilities in AI, security and observability will unlock the true value of data and will help make organizations of all sizes more secure and digitally resilient. Specifically, Splunk’s security capabilities complement Cisco’s existing portfolio, and together, will provide leading security analytics and coverage from devices to applications to clouds. Cisco and Splunk’s complementary capabilities will provide observability across hybrid and multi-cloud environments enabling the company’s customers to deliver smooth application experiences that power their digital businesses. Cisco and Splunk are well positioned to help customers responsibly harness the power of AI given their substantial scale, visibility into data, and foundation of trust. The union of these two organizations will allow for greater investments in new solutions, accelerated innovation, and increased global scale to support the needs of customers of all sizes. Cisco’s acquisition of Splunk will also build upon both companies’ reputations for being purpose-driven with similar values, strong cultures, and incredibly talented teams. The acquisition will unite two “Great Places to Work” with a shared passion for innovation and inclusion and will remain a great place to work and the premier place for software talent.
Transaction Details Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco intends to acquire Splunk for $157 per share in cash, representing approximately $28 billion in equity value. The transaction is expected to be cash flow positive and gross margin accretive in the first fiscal year post close, and non-GAAP EPS accretive in year two. Additionally, it will accelerate Cisco’s revenue growth and gross margin expansion. The transaction will not impact Cisco’s previously announced share buyback program or dividend program. The acquisition has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both Cisco and Splunk. It is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of calendar year 2024, subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions including approval by Splunk shareholders. For further information regarding all terms and conditions contained in the definitive agreement, please see Cisco’s Current Report on Form 8-K, which will be filed in connection with the transaction.
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About Splunk Splunk Inc. (NASDAQ:SPLK) helps build a safer and more resilient digital world. Organizations trust Splunk to prevent security, infrastructure and application issues from becoming major incidents, absorb shocks from digital disruptions, and accelerate digital transformation.