Icahn further raises BEA stake to 13.22 percent

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Billionaire investor Carl Icahn further boosted his stake in BEA Systems Inc BEAS.O to 13.22 percent, according to a regulatory filing.

On Wednesday Icahn, who is urging the business software maker to put itself up for sale, had raised his stake in the company to 11.05 percent.

This is the fourth time in under a month that Icahn has reported an increase in ownership in BEA Systems.

BEA sells software that helps business computer systems communicate with each other. Its WebLogic software competes with products from International Business Machines Corp (IBM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Oracle Corp (ORCL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

Analysts have said that potential suitors for BEA might include Oracle, IBM, CA Inc CA.N, Symantec Corp (SYMC.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) or Hewlett-Packard Co (HPQ.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

Icahn, who first reported an ownership stake in BEA in mid-August, has argued that it is increasingly difficult for a stand-alone technology company such as BEA to prosper because of strong competition.

Activist shareholder Icahn's notable past campaigns have targeted companies as diverse as giant media conglomerate Time Warner Inc (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), handset maker Motorola Inc (MOT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and luxury builder WCI Communities Inc (WCI.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

(Reporting by Franklin Paul in New York, additional reporting by Bhaswati Mukhopadhyay in Bangalore)