* Says to buy ArcSight for $43.50/shr, a 24 pct premium
* HP's second major acquisition since Mark Hurd departure
* Latest sign of consolidation in security software sector
* Shares up 26 percent in premarket (Adds premarket share prices, background)
NEW YORK, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co
The $43.50-a-share offer is a 24 percent premium to ArcSight's Friday close of $35.10 on Nasdaq. Shares were trading at $44.36 in heavy premarket trading on Monday, indicating that some shareholders are looking for a higher bid.
The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the year and is HP's second major deal since the departure of Mark Hurd as chief executive.
Hurd, who left HP after he was accused of falsifying
expense reports and concealing a relationship with a female
contractor, is now a co-president at Oracle Corp
Earlier this month, HP won a bidding war against rival Dell
Inc
The deal is also the latest sign of consolidation in the
security software sector. Last month, Intel Corp
Shares of HP, a Dow component, rose 16 cents to $38.44. (Reporting by Liana B. Baker in New York and Sayantani Ghosh in Bangalore; Editing by Anne Pallivathuckal and Derek Caney)