Reports that retailers Office Depot and OfficeMax are discussing a merger came after big corporate deals for Heinz and Dell were announced in recent weeks. Some investors are betting that more deals could be on the way as buyers pay premium prices for publicly traded companies.
Shares of Dell climbed in premarket trading Tuesday on reports the personal computer maker is nearing a deal to go private worth up to $24 billion. The transaction is said to involve a group including Microsoft, private equity firm Silver Lake and CEO Michael Dell.
Al Gore already has won a Nobel Peace Prize, an Oscar and a presidential popular vote. Now, he's won the mergers-and-acquisitions lottery, too. When Al Jazeera cuts its check to buy failed progressive media outlet Current TV, Gore's 20 percent stake looks like it'll be worth $100 million.
Hormel Foods is buying the Skippy peanut butter product line from Unilever for approximately $700 million as it looks to strengthen its business overseas and branch out beyond its meat business that includes Spam.
IntercontinentalExchange announced this morning that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire NYSE Euronext Inc. in a stock and cash transaction valued at $33.12 per NYSE Euronext share, a premium of nearly 38% to last night's closing price. The total value of the deal is $8.2 billion.
Hewlett-Packard said that British company Autonomy, which, it bought for $10 billion last year, lied about its finances, resulting in a $8.8 billion write-down of the value of the business. But HP is avoiding using the word "fraud" to describe the fictional bookkeeping.
Starbucks announced on Wednesday that it will pay $620 million to acquire Teavana, the upscale mall chain that sells dozens of varieties of loose teas and artisanal tea-making equipment. They do also sell brewed tea beverages, but that's only sliver of its business. For Starbucks, this is a retail play, pure and simple.
There's some serious consolidation taking place in the bedding industry. Tempur-Pedic announced on Thursday that it will be acquiring rival Sealy by cashing out shareholders to the tune of $2.20 a share.
American Airlines and US Airways are one step closer to a potential merger. The companies said Friday they signed legal documents allowing them to confidentially exchange information. But a deal is still far from reality.
When Chinese companies buy major U.S. brands, we're left to decide how much we trust the "Made in China" label. But this time, the acquired company is a top independent stock analyst, and the trust question could put your portfolio at risk.
Heineken's $6 billion bid to take full control of Tiger Beer maker Asia Pacific Breweries, faces a challenge from a group led by Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, which has put in a higher bid to increase its stake in APB.
United Airlines says it has a deal with union negotiators on a new labor contract with its own pilots and those from the former Continental Airlines -- an important step in creating a single workforce at the company, which underwent a merger in 2010.
Peet's Coffee & Tea said on Monday it is set to be acquired by Joh. A. Benckiser for about $1 billion, a move that would give Peet's a financial jolt, and broaden the reach of Germany's Reimann family.
Why is Autodesk -- the leading provider of design software for architects and engineers -- snapping up the maker of controversial video-sharing app Socialcam? Even the most reasonable answers point to problems ahead.
