Yahoo Looking To Acquire Groupon? (YHOO, AMZN, GOOG, EBAY)

Reports have surfaced in the last couple of days that Yahoo YHOO has made an informal offer to buy Groupon for between $3 billion to $4 billion. While that number may sound high, Groupon is one of the fastest growing companies ever and YHOO's share price has been moribund for years. According to a source at Business Insider, Groupon is undergoing a semi-annual review of its long-term options, which may include an eventual IPO, a possibly being acquired, or raising more capital. Groupon has 3,000 employees and is operating in 29 different countries. The company sends out email subscribers coupons which only go into effect after a certain number of subscribers have purchased them. The service has proven exceedingly popular with businesses looking to drive traffic at their stores. According to reports, Yahoo is not the only company interested in Groupon. Amazon AMZN, eBay EBAY and Google GOOG have also been mentioned as potential suitors.