Yahoo’s stock rises after Bartz fired as CEO

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Yahoo’s stock rose nearly 5 percent on Wednesday after the company fired its CEO following more than 2 1/2 years of financial lethargy.

Tuesday’s ouster came as investors were convinced that Carol Bartz couldn’t steer the Internet company to a long-promised turnaround.

To fill the void, Yahoo’s board named Tim Morse, its chief financial officer, as interim CEO. Bartz, who became CEO in 2009, lured Morse away from computer chip maker Altera Corp. two years ago to help her cuts costs. Yahoo said it is looking for a permanent replacement.

Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock, also a target of shareholder frustration, informed Bartz about the move over the phone, according to an e-mail the outgoing CEO sent from her iPad that was obtained by the All Things D technology blog. The blog first reported Bartz’s ouster.

Yahoo didn’t return requests for comment Tuesday and Wednesday.

Bartz’s rude dismissal “made you feel a little bit like you were watching some reality TV show,” Forrester Research analyst Shar VanBoskirk said Wednesday.

Macquarie Securities analyst Ben Schachter said the handling of Bartz’s departure was unseemly and a sign of even more drama to come at Yahoo.

In a research note late Tuesday, Schachter predicted there will be a wide range of conjecture about Yahoo’s future, with the most likely speculation centering on Yahoo as a takeover target during a vulnerable time.

Alternatively, Yahoo could make a bold move itself by trying to buy the online video site Hulu.com, which is already talking to suitors, or trying to sell its 43 percent stake in the Alibaba Group, one of China’s most prized Internet companies. Bartz’s tense relationship with Alibaba CEO Jack Ma had fed investor dissatisfaction about her leadership.

Youssef Squali at Jefferies & Co. said that the Internet company’s challenges, and the fact that Bartz was Yahoo’s third CEO in four years, will make it tough for the board to find an “A player” for the job.

Squali said Yahoo could be sold to a large media company like News Corp. or be bought by some sort of consortium that could feature Microsoft Corp. or AOL Inc.

“In all, we believe that it is more likely that the board reaches an agreement to sell the company or parts of the company before a new CEO is found,” Squali wrote Wednesday.

In a statement Tuesday, Yahoo said it is undergoing a “comprehensive strategic review” in its latest effort to give investors a reason to buy its stock, but the company didn’t offer details.

Bartz, 63, led an austerity campaign helped boost Yahoo’s earnings, but the company didn’t increase its revenue even as the Internet ad market grew at a rapid clip.

The financial funk, along with recent setbacks in Yahoo’s online search partnership with Microsoft Corp. and the Alibaba investment, proved to be Bartz’s downfall. Her ouster comes with 16 months left on a four-year contract that she signed in January 2009.

Story Continues →

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.