Samsung Walks Away From SanDisk Deal

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Korean electronics giant Samsung has finally drawn a line under its attempt to purchase chipmaker SanDisk(SNDK Quote).

Samsung confirmed that it is no longer planning to pursue the acquisition in a filing with the Korea Exchange, according to Reuters, effectively ending the long-running M&A saga between the two companies.

Shares of SanDisk took a pounding earlier this week, possibly in anticipation of Samsung's decision. Despite a recent rebound in its business, SanDisk's stock closed at $16.99 Thursday, well below its 52-week high of $23.50.

Samsung launched a $5.85 billion bid to buy SanDisk last year, but withdrew the offer amid uncertainty in the Flash memory market and resistance from SanDisk.

Despite SanDisk's insistence that Samsung's offer undervalued the company, the two firms have maintained their longstanding partnership, and the door was left open for future negotiations. Earlier this year, for example, SanDisk clinched a much lower cost technology licensing agreement with Samsung, much to the delight of its investors.

The agreement had been set to expire in August, and was seen as removing the risk of future litigation between the two firms.

After withstanding the vagaries of the global economic slowdown, the chip sector is raising hopes for a tech recovery, with help from recent comments from Intel(INTC Quote), Dell(DELL Quote) and Marvell(MRVL Quote).

SanDisk has also enjoyed a rebound in its business. The flash memory manufacturer beat analysts' estimates in its recent second-quarter results, buoyed by increased prices, higher royalty revenue and strong execution.