Novell sells majority stake in Celerant for $77 million

Novell Inc., which sells computer software and consulting services, said Wednesday it has sold its majority stake in Celerant Consulting to focus on more profitable businesses.

Novell, which has about one-third of its 5,200-person work force in Provo, sold its shares to members of Celerant's management and U.K. investment trust Caledonia Investments for $77 million. Novell acquired Celerant in 2001 when it bought Cambridge Technology Partners.

It hired Citigroup Inc. in November to explore options for selling the management consulting firm.

The sale will have no effect on its information technology consulting business, Novell said. Celerant generated $158 million, or about 13 percent of Novell's revenue, last year, according to Bloomberg data.