Carl Icahn raises stake in Dell to nearly 9 per cent

Carl Icahn's stake in Dell Inc now stands at close to 9 per cent, buttressing his vow that the fight for the embattled computer will go on.

The billionaire investor disclosed in a regulatory filing earlier this week that he's purchased an additional 4 million shares in Dell Inc.

According to the filing, Icahn bought the shares on August 1, the same day he filed a suit to block any delay in a shareholder vote over company control and a day before founder CEO Michael Dell boosted his bid to take the company private.

Michael Dell and investment firm Silver Lake Partners' latest buyout bid is $13.75 per share , with stockholders also receiving a special dividend of 13 cents per share. That would cost about $230 million, based on Dell's 1.76 billion outstanding shares.

A shareholder vote on the offer is scheduled for September 12.

Icahn is suing in a Delaware court to force the company to hold its annual meeting - set for October 17 - on the same day as the vote on the deal. Icahn wants to oust Dell's board and has put together a deal that he says would be worth at least $15.50 per share for holders of Dell's stock.

Icahn and others say Michael Dell's offer is not fair to company investors. In a statement, Icahn had said "the war regarding Dell is far from over."

If shareholders vote in favor of Dell's bid, the Texas-based company will become a private entity for the first time in a quarter century.

Icahn is proving to be a major hurdle in achieving that goal and has even called the latest bid from Dell an insult to investors.