Shutterfly Gets To Pick Off the Kodak Digital Carcass (SFLY, EKDKQ)

Photo of Jon C. Ogg
By Jon C. Ogg Published

Shutterfly, Inc. (NASDAQ: SFLY) has entered into an agreement with Eastman Kodak Company (EKDKQ) over the proposed sale of certain assets of the KODAK Gallery on-line photo services business for $23.8 million. Effectively, Shutterfly is providing stalking horse bid in the court-supervised auction process.

The terms of the agreement include the transfer of Gallery customer accounts and images in the U.S. and Canada to Shutterfly.

What is amazing here is that this is the operation which Kodak should have been able to dominate any of the smaller online services.  It did not, and the digital age ate the company alive because it was too slow to move in the digital image direction.  Sadly, it was a lose-lose situation either way because monetizing this effort has not replaced what Kodak has lost.

KODAK Gallery is said to have over 75 million users and it has popular mobile apps.

Picking off the bones of a carcass is rewarding.  Just look at the reaction in Shutterfly shares with a gain of 8% to $29.21 on the news.

The press release does not confirm whether or not Antonio Perez has to offer submit a pound of flesh for each unit sold off from the company he led into bankruptcy.

Photo of Jon C. Ogg
About the Author Jon C. Ogg →

Jon Ogg has been a financial news analyst since 1997. Mr. Ogg set up one of the first audio squawk box services for traders called TTN, which he sold in 2003. He has previously worked as a licensed broker to some of the top U.S. and E.U. financial institutions, managed capital, and has raised private capital at the seed and venture stage. He has lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as New York and Chicago, and he now lives in Houston, Texas. Jon received a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance at University of Houston in 1992. www.247wallst.com.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

KMX Vol: 7,330,419
GLW Vol: 22,800,969
INTC Vol: 233,719,006
SMCI Vol: 68,465,534
ENPH Vol: 13,978,376

Top Losing Stocks

ACN Vol: 41,744,333
EPAM Vol: 5,636,587
CTSH Vol: 61,311,400
CTRA Vol: 73,319,495
KR Vol: 26,704,230