Elliott Management is acquiring Barnes & Noble for about $683 million including debt, the companies said Friday. While the bookseller has lost half its market value in the past five years, its shares soared Thursday after The Wall Street Journal reported the deal was in the works. Watch Barnes & Noble trade live. Elliott Management, the hedge fund led by the investor Paul Singer, is acquiring the beleaguered bookseller Barnes & Noble for about $683 million including debt, the companies announced Friday. Elliott is acquiring the bookseller in an all-cash transaction that's expected to close in the third quarter.