Multibillion-dollar oil and gas deals are back on the table. More than $11 billion of transactions were announced globally in July as crude’s recovery fueled hopes of a steadier market, Wood Mackenzie Ltd. said. That’s...
Pfizer Mega-Merger Not as Likely as Smaller Deals
Only for a company like Pfizer is a $14 billion acquisition considered “bolt-on” and “barely a needle-mover.” But shareholders of the $213 billion drugmakers may have to get used to describing...
Budweiser Acquisition Thirst Goes Beyond SABMiller to Craft Brews
As far as giants go, Anheuser-Busch InBev doesn’t do a lot of sleeping. The Budweiser brewer is still trying to get its MegaBrew-sized, $100 billion-plus takeover of SABMiller across the finish line, with the...
Bahrain’s GFH in Talks to Buy Majority Stake in Bank Alkhair
Bahrain’s GFH Financial Group is in talks to buy a majority stake in Islamic lender Bank Alkhair. GFH has signed a memorandum of understanding for the potential acquisition, which is subject to board and shareholder...
Japan’s M&A Market May Be at Risk of Overheating
Mergers and acquisitions are the latest markets in Japan seen at risk of overheating, with a jump in corporate lending helping drive the premium for M&A deals to a seven-year high. The Bank of Japan’s unprecedented...
VTech Takeover of LeapFrog Could Face Full U.K. Antitrust Probe
VTech Holdings Ltd.’s planned acquisition of LeapFrog Enterprises Inc. could face an in-depth investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority after the U.K. regulator said it was concerned about the potential...
United Bankshares Agrees to Buy Cardinal for $912 Million
United Bankshares Inc. agreed to buy Cardinal Financial Corp. in an all-stock deal valued at about $912 million to expand in the Washington, D.C., region. The buyer will pay 0.71 United share for each Cardinal share, a...
Birla Wants to Feed Financial Services ‘Animal’ With Merger Plan
Indian billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla’s group said the proposal to merge two companies and spin off its financial services division will help it cut funding costs and boost its lending business. Combining Grasim...
Tech’s M&A Rainmaker Couldn’t Care Less That Rivals Badmouth Him
George Boutros has heard the stories — the one’s rivals tell about how he’s cajoled, bullied and dissembled his way to the top of the cut-throat business of technology mergers and acquisitions. So here’s a...
Billionaire Wang Wins Investors’ Nod for $4.4 Billion Buyout
Billionaire Wang Jianlin won shareholders’ approval to buy out his property unit for HK$34.5 billion ($4.4 billion), clearing the way for the biggest-ever privatization deal in Hong Kong. The shares rose. The HK$52.80-a...
UBS’s Grafstein Says M&A Being Spurred by Slow Economic Growth
Deal activity in the U.S., while down from last year, still has tailwinds as companies seek ways to expand amid sluggish economic growth, said Larry Grafstein, UBS Group AG’s co-head of mergers and acquisitions in the...
Brazil’s M&A Market Shows Early Signs of a Comeback Ahead
Brazil’s long-forgotten mergers and acquisitions market finally looks poised for a comeback, investment bankers, and private equity firms say. “There’s a clear improvement in confidence, which increases people’s will to...
