RIM Shares Surge 11 Percent on Samsung Takeover Talk

Shares of BlackBerry developer Research in Motion surged as much as 11 percent Tuesday after speculation Samsung Electronics might mount a takeover bid.

In late trading, RIM shares were at $7.48, up 8.2 percent, giving the Waterloo, Ontario-based telecommunications equipment maker a market value of $9.15 billion.

Speculation about talks between RIM and Samsung is likely true, said analyst Peter Misek of Jefferies. However, Misek said a more likely outcome is a licensing agreement between the companies for RIM's forthcoming BlackBerry 10 handset.

RIM representatives declined comment. U.S. representatives for Samsung, South Korea's biggest electronics maker and the No. 2 global chipmaker, also declined comment.

Since August, the smartphone sector has buzzed with speculation RIM might be a target after the company reported poor earnings and botched the introduction of its BlackBerry PlayBook, a tablet that couldn't receive e-mail messages and sold poorly.

Toronto activist investor Victor Alboini and New York activist Leon Cooperman have both acquired strategic stakes in RIM in an effort to foster a sale or management shakeup. Co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and James Balsillie, who together own 20 percent of the company, have vowed to remain independent.

RIM's U.S. smartphone market share has dwindled to only about 6.5 percent while Samsung's rose to 25.6 percent, market research ComScore estimates for the quarter ending last November.