Syngenta rises after Monsanto takeover talk May 5, 2015 SYNGENTA shares had their biggest increase in six years yesterday, after investors finally got the chance to give their verdict on reports that Monsanto had offered to buy the group again. The Swiss-agrochemical giant jumped nearly 12 per cent in early trading following last week’s report that Monsanto, the world’s biggest seed producer, had approached [...]
Spirit Pub raises a glass to fizzing rise in profits as Greene King merger looms April 29, 2015 Spirit Pub Company toasted a strong rise in earnings yesterday after it reported a 12 per cent gain in half year profits. The pubs group, which has 1,211 boozers concentrated in London and the south east, added £3m of pre-tax profits to take the haul for the six months ending 7 March to £25m. Strong [...]
Three charged with insider dealing by FCA in Logica shares at time of CGI takeover April 29, 2015 Three men, including a former business analyst at IT management consultancy Logica, have been charged with insider dealing by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The UK's financial watchdog formally is charging former Logica employee Majeet Singh Mohal with passing on inside information in 2012 and two other men – Reshim Birk and Surinder Pal Singh Sappal [...]
Lib Dems: Blocking a BP takeover would be a massive Tory U-turn April 27, 2015 The Liberal Democrats believe it would be a huge shift for any future Conservative government to try to block a foreign takeover of BP. The party points to last year’s coalition row over a potential takeover of pharmaceutical giant Astrazeneca by Pfizer. Then, Vince Cable wanted to bring in greater restrictions to protect research and [...]
Pace chairman Allan Leighton to exit after Arris takeover April 23, 2015 Pace chairman Allan Leighton is set to leave the UK group once its £1.4bn takeover by a US rival is finalised, as shares in the set-top box maker closed 34 per cent higher yesterday. Leighton, chair of Pace since 2011, oversaw the cash-and-share offer by Georgia-based group Arris Group but will not seek a [...]
Pace share price jumps 36 per cent after takeover agreement with US rival April 23, 2015 Shares in Pace, the set-top box maker, closed more than 36 per cent higher this afternoon, after it announced plans to merge with US rival Arris. The company said this morning it had agreed to be bought by Arris for $2.1bn (£1.4bn). The deal values Pace at 426.5p per share – although they closed at [...]
South African private equity firm Brait in £1.3bn Virgin Active takeover April 16, 2015 High end gym chain Virgin Active was yesterday sold to a South African private equity outfit, scuppering longstanding plans by the company to float on the stock market. Brait, a private equity firm based in Johannesburg, will take an 80 per cent controlling stake in the group, which has 1.3m members and 267 clubs. [...]
Nokia confirms €15.6bn Alcatel takeover April 15, 2015 Nokia has confirmed plans to buy French telecoms giant Alcatel-Lucent for €15.6bn (£11.3bn). The Finnish company said it had offered 0.55 new shares in Nokia worth €4.27 each per Alcatel share, representing a 28 per cent premium over Alcatel's average share price over the last three months. The two sides said combining their businesses will [...]
FTSE 100 stocks rise again on merger activity – London Report April 14, 2015 MINING stocks helped take the FTSE 100 close to another record high yesterday while potential deal activity also gave the stock market a boost. Miners such as Anglo American, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton rose 2.8 to 4.1 per cent as metal prices bounced up off their earlier lows. The UK mining index was up three [...]
Top PRs Roland Rudd and Sir Alan Parker brought together by Shell’s BG Group takeover April 9, 2015 Rarely does one get the two titans of the financial PR world, Finsbury’s Roland Rudd and Brunswick’s Sir Alan Parker, in the same room – but that’s exactly what happened earlier this week in the prep meeting for Shell’s agreed £47bn takeover of BG Group. Observers say that Rudd stood up to shake his rival’s [...]