Workday Inc. shares jumped after a Reuters report that private equity firm Silver Lake is in talks to purchase the software provider. The private equity firm has been in discussions for several months about a takeover of Workday, which makes software for business tasks such as human resources, Reuters reported Thursday citing unidentified people familiar with the talks. There is no guarantee a deal will occur, the newswire said.\n\nThe report sent Workday shares soaring, reflecting investor optimism about a potential buyout at a premium. Silver Lake, known for technology-focused investments, has not publicly commented on the negotiations.

The talks remain private and may not result in a transaction.\n\nWorkday, a leading provider of cloud-based human capital management and financial software, has a market value of over $50 billion. A deal would be one of the largest leveraged buyouts in recent years. Reuters broke the story, citing sources who requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the discussions.