Why Was Workday (WDAY) Stock Moving on Aug 13, 2026?
Latest catalyst, August 13, 2026 at 18:36 UTC: Reuters reported that Silver Lake is in talks to acquire Workday, a company with a market value of about $43 billion. We measured the shares from $186.27 to $220.50 in eight minutes, +18.38%, with two trading halts along the way. They closed at $206.45.
- Latest catalyst: a Reuters report on August 13, 2026 at 18:36 UTC that Silver Lake is in talks to acquire Workday.
- Workday's market value is about $43 billion; a deal would rank among the largest software buyouts in history.
- Talks have taken place in recent months and are ongoing, with no guarantee of a transaction.
16:15:54 ET
Reaction by asset (real prices)
| Asset | 2m before | At release | +1m | +15m | +1m % | +15m % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WDAY Volume 47.0× normal in 15 min |
186.27 | 186.27 | 186.27 | 220.50 | 0.00% | +18.38% |
Workday's move traces to a single Reuters report at 18:36 UTC on August 13, 2026: Silver Lake, a private equity firm, is in talks to acquire the company. Workday carries a market value of about $43 billion, and a transaction at that scale would rank among the largest software buyouts ever done.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Reported by | Reuters, August 13, 2026, 18:36 UTC |
| Market value | About $43 billion |
| Status | Talks held in recent months, ongoing, no guarantee of a deal |
| Financing | Silver Lake could bring in additional investors |
| Price before the headline | $186.27 |
| Peak in our news feed | $220.50, +18.38% |
| Close | $206.45, +17.78% on the session |
Two things about that price path are worth separating.
The first is that it was interrupted. Trading was halted twice while the stock repriced, which shows up in our one-minute data as stretches where the price does not change and no shares trade at all. The jump from $200.04 to $220.50 did not happen gradually; it happened in the auction that reopened the stock, with no prints in between.
The second is that the high was not the finish. $220.50 was the post-halt print; the shares closed at $206.45. The first prices after a takeover report reflect whoever is willing to trade in the first minutes, and they are routinely revised once more participants have read the story.
The reason a buyer is interested at all is the part that predates today. Workday's shares had fallen roughly 15% this year and more than 40% from their 2024 peak, which Reuters attributes to investors questioning the durability of traditional software as artificial intelligence advances quickly. A private owner is not answerable to a quarterly share price, which makes a long and expensive adaptation easier to fund away from public markets — the discount that hurts a public company is the thing that attracts a private buyer.
Nothing has been agreed. The full minute-by-minute price record, the halt structure and what the valuation implies are covered on our Workday takeover-talks page.
Sources
-
Exclusive: Silver Lake in talks to buy Workday, sources say
— Reuters via Yahoo Finance
The takeover talks, the roughly $43 billion market value, the status of discussions, the share declines and the $206.45 close
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Workday skyrockets, trading halted multiple times on report of Silver Lake takeover
— CNBC
That trading in Workday was halted multiple times during the move
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