Apple to Buy Fingerprint Security Company

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By Trey Thoelcke Published
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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has agreed to buy AuthenTec Inc. (NASDAQ: AUTH) in a deal valued at about $356 million. That comes to $8.00 per share, compared to $5.07 at Thursday’s close.

AuthenTec produces fingerprint sensor chips and security software for mobile phones. The Melbourne, Fla.-based company has annual revenue of about $70 million. Lenovo Group Ltd., Fujitsu Ltd. and Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) are among its customers.

It’s worth noting that earlier this month, AuthenTec closed a deal with Samsung Electronics Co. that would put its QuickSec VPN security into new Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android-based smartphones and tablets. Apple and Samsung have a long-running disupte over patents as they fight for marketshare in the competitive mobile devices space.

Shares of AuthenTec are now trading near $8.25, leading some to speculate that investors are willing to bet Apple could face a competing bid.

Photo of Trey Thoelcke
About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.

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