Aladdin Systems Goes Public -- In an unusual event in the Macintosh industry, Aladdin Systems, makers of the StuffIt family of compression products and numerous other Mac utilities, has gone public via a "reverse merger," which involves a private company merging with a dormant public company so its shares can be traded on public stock exchanges. Reverse mergers are generally easier, less expensive, and result in less-diluted stock than IPOs (initial public offerings). Aladdin Holdings, Inc., the parent company of which Aladdin Systems, Inc. is now a wholly owned subsidiary, is listed under the ticker symbol ALHI and currently trading at about $5 per share. Going public should increase Aladdin's valuation, give them greater access to capital, and enable them to use stock to acquire other products or companies - a strategy Aladdin has used of late to increase its product lineup. [ACE]

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