merger

Sanofi-Aventis, Genzyme on the Brink of a Merger

It seems that months of merger talks between French pharma Sanofi-Aventis and U.S. biotech Genzyme have entered the home stretch. This week, Sanofi is expected to offer $74 a share for Genzyme, with an option included potentially worth $5 to $6 a share.

Nikkei Surges on Steel Merger Plans and Impressive Earnings

Japanese investors were giddy with excitement as positive earnings reports and the announcement of a major merger flooded the news. The Nikkei 225 advanced 1.1% on Friday, while markets in Hong Kong and China remained closed for the Lunar New Year.

M&A Mania: Early 2011 Deals Already Hit a 10-Year High

Companies such as Duke Energy and DuPont are off and running with megamergers early this year. Even Playboy is among the dealers. And market pros say the trend is far from over. Why are so many U.S. companies tying the knot? Fast growth is hard to come by in any other strategy.

Fiat May Raise Its Stake in Chrysler to 51% Before IPO

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said Monday that he could increase Fiat's ownership in Chrysler to more than 50% should America's smallest domestic automaker seek to return to the stock market this year, but that he doesn't plan to merge the companies' operations.

Chinese Regulators Delay Nokia Siemens Deal to Buy Motorola Wireless Assets

Nokia Siemens's planned acquisition of the bulk of Motorola's wireless-network business likely won't happen this year. Chinese regulators are still reviewing the deal, and Nokia Siemens now expects approval -- and the completion of the purchase -- will have to wait until the first quarter of 2011.

TD Bank to Buy Chrysler Financial from Cerberus

Canada's second largest bank and private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management plan to buy automotive financial products and services company Chrysler Financial for approximately $6.3 billion in cash.

Dell's Planned Low Bid for Compellent Sends Shares Down

Dell confirmed Thursday it's in exclusive buyout talks with Compellent Technologies, but the proposed buyout price for the data storage company is apparently less than what investors were betting on. Compellent shares fell as much as 15% to an intraday low of $28.58 a share.

Groupon Rejects Google: Is It Aiming for a Big IPO Instead?

Groupon has turned down Google's acquisition offer of roughly $6 billion. It might be holding out for more money, but columnist Alex Salkever thinks it's more likely to be aiming for a big IPO. Here's why he believes its offering could launch a whole new wave of Internet IPOs.

Nuance Shares Up Even After Wozniak Admits His Error

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak backpedaled Tuesday from an earlier statement that Apple was purchasing voice recognition software maker Nuance Communications. Despite Woz's proclamation that he was "totally wrong," investors pushed Nuance's shares to a new 52-week high.

Newsweek and The Daily Beast Will Merge

Newsweek and The Daily Beast have finally agreed to merge. But with each business struggling, the new entity may be more like a marriage of two wounded media operations.

Lions Gate Sues Billionaire Icahn Over MGM Drama

The movie studio has sued activist investor Carl Icahn for opposing a merger with MGM. But the internal bickering doesn't look good for the company. Will the lawsuit end up sinking its bid?

Northeast Utilities Buying NSTAR in No-Premium Deal

Northeast Utilities is buying NSTAR for about $4 billion in a no-premium deal. The companies agreed to a stock-for-stock merger of equals with a total enterprise value of $17.5 billion to create a company with nearly 3.5 million electric and gas customers -- over half of the customers in New England.

Report: AOL Preparing Possible Acquisition of Yahoo

AOL is reported to be collaborating with private equity firms to explore a possible Yahoo takeover attempt. In theory, an AOL-Yahoo deal would position the merged company to compete for online advertising dollars more effectively.