It’s no surprise that companies are getting more conservative in light of economic turbulence of recent months. While the FCC just gave the Verizon Wireless-Alltel and Sprint-Clearwire combinations the green light, and CenturyTel recently announced plans to buy Embarq, other carriers are putting the breaks on, or at least approaching with extreme caution, potential mergers and acquisition. Case in point: Windstream Communications (WIN).
According to Telephony, Windstream executives in their third-quarter earnings call this week indicated a major acquisition or merger is unlikely in the near future. The company reportedly said that’s not to say consolidation is not beneficial or that M&A is no longer a focus for the company, simply that it is very focused right now on maintaining high cash balance and cash flow.
