Editing Freescale Semiconductor (section)

==History==
[[File:Freescale.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Freescale Semiconductor logo until 2011.]]
=== Divestiture from Motorola and first IPO ===
As of 2003, Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector earned US$5.0 [[billion]] in semiconductor sales in 2002 (out of US$27 billion sales for all of Motorola).<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.motorola.com/mediacenter/news/detail.jsp?globalObjectId=3414_2824_23 |title=Integrated Security Added to Motorola's High-performance PowerQUICC™ III Processor Family" |publisher=Motorola |date=2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060719172123/http://www.motorola.com/mediacenter/news/detail.jsp?globalObjectId=3414_2824_23 |archive-date=July 19, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.symbian.com/news/pr/2003/pr20032970.asp |title=Motorola Semiconductor and Symbian launch 2.5G and 3G reference designs |publisher=[[Symbian]] |date=2002}}{{Dead link|date=April 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Motorola announced that their semiconductor division would be divested on October 6, 2003 and would have a temporary name ''SPS Spinco''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/motorola-chip-unit-files-2-billion-ipo/ |title=Motorola chip unit files $2 billion IPO |first=Ben |last=Charny |date=December 17, 2003 |website=[[CNET]]}}</ref>

Freescale completed its [[Initial public offering]] (IPO) on July 16, 2004, at a price of US$13. In its announcement, it estimated the stock price to be US$17.50- 19.50 but following a cooling of the market towards tech stocks, it lowered its price to US$13. Existing shareholders of Motorola stock received 0.110415 shares of Freescale stock for every share of Motorola stock as a dividend which was distributed on December 2, 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/90/90829/reports/112604infoformot.pdf |title=Motorola Shareholder Letter}}</ref>

=== Buyout ===
On September 15, 2006, Freescale agreed to accept a [[buyout]] for the sum of $17.6 billion ($40 per share) by a consortium led by the [[Blackstone Group]]. Share prices of $13 at the July 2004 IPO had risen to $39.35 in afterhours trading that Friday when the news, rumored that week, broke. A special shareholders meeting on November 13, 2006, voted to accept the buyout offer. The purchase, which closed on December 1, 2006, is reportedly the largest private buyout of a technology company and one of the ten largest buyouts of all time.<ref>[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/15/freescale_accepts_takeover_offer/ Freescale sells itself for $17.6bn cash – or more] 15th September 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.thestreet.com/_googlen/newsanalysis/techsemis/10313043.html Freescale Took Scenic Buyout Route] October 4, 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.microcontroller.com/news/freescale_buyout.asp Freescale Semiconductor Bought Out by Blackstone for $17.6Billion] September 25, 2006</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20120713221803/http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=196520&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=937966 Consortium of Private Equity Firms Completes Acquisition of Freescale Semiconductor] December 1, 2006</ref>

=== Second IPO ===
Freescale filed to go public again on February 11, 2011, and completed its IPO on May 26, 2011. Freescale was traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the [[ticker symbol]] FSL. At the time of the IPO, the company had $7.6 billion in outstanding debt on its books,<ref name="Freescale Debt">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/USCP/PNI/Business/2012-05-17-PNI0517biz-freescale_ST_U.htm |title=Freescale Debt}}</ref> and the company was investigated for misconduct related to this IPO.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&tkr=1FS:GR&sid=axxV2sAk7vDI |title=Holzer Holzer & Fistel, LLC Announces Investigation into Freescale Semiconductor Holdings I, LTD |publisher=Reuters |date=October 5, 2011 |access-date=March 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104215923/https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&tkr=1FS:GR&sid=axxV2sAk7vDI |archive-date=2013-11-04 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== MH370 ===
On March 8, 2014, Freescale announced that 20 of its employees were lost aboard [[Malaysia Airlines Flight 370]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Team Register |date=March 9, 2014 |title=20 Freescale staff on vanished Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 |journal=[[The Register]] |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/09/20_freescale_employees_missing_on_mh370/ |access-date=August 28, 2016}}</ref>

===Merger===
A merger agreement with [[NXP Semiconductors]] was announced in March 2015, to form a {{US$|40|2015}} billion company.<ref name="nxp-merger">{{cite press release|url=http://www.nxp.com/news/press-releases/2015/03/nxp-and-freescale-announce-40-billion-merger.html|title=NXP and Freescale Announce $40 Billion Merger|publisher=NXP|access-date=October 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151204174935/http://www.nxp.com/news/press-releases/2015/03/nxp-and-freescale-announce-40-billion-merger.html|archive-date=December 4, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=http://otp.investis.com/clients/us/free_scale/usn/usnews-story.aspx?cid=896&newsid=28737|title=NXP and Freescale Announce $40 Billion Merger|website=otp.investis.com|access-date=October 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004085649/http://otp.investis.com/clients/us/free_scale/usn/usnews-story.aspx?cid=896&newsid=28737|archive-date=October 4, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The acquisition closed on December 7, 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-12-07|title=NXP closes deal to buy Freescale and create top auto chipmaker|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/07/nxp-closes-deal-to-buy-freescale-and-create-top-auto-chipmaker.html|access-date=2021-05-31|website=CNBC|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-03-02|title=NXP Semiconductors to Acquire Freescale for $11.8 Billion|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-02/nxp-semiconductors-to-acquire-freescale-for-11-8-billion|access-date=2021-06-03|website=Bloomberg.com}}</ref>