Software News 05/05 09:38 Sage May Bid 430 Million Pounds for Exact Holding, Paper Says By David Tweed London, May 5 (Bloomberg) -- Sage Group Plc, the U.K.'s biggest maker of accounting software, may bid 430 million pounds ($632 million) for Exact Holding NV to counter expansion from Microsoft Corp., the Independent on Sunday reported, without citing any one. Sage, which has bought seven companies in the past year to add products such as software to help manage customer relationships, may begin talks to buy Exact later this year, the paper said. Microsoft, the world's biggest software maker, is discussing a takeover with Navision A/S, a Danish business-management software company, people familiar with the talks said last week. Sage Chief Executive Officer Paul Walker and Giles Sanderson, a spokesman for the company, didn't immediately return calls. Exact Holding's shares have dropped 24 percent this year, trimming its value to 579 million euros ($530 million).