DEALS OF THE DAY- MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS – RTRS

DEALS OF THE DAY- MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS – RTRS

March 5 (Reuters) – The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2100 GMT on Wednesday:

 

** Morgan Stanley MS.N is weighing the sale of its private bank in Switzerland, which manages roughly 10 billion Swiss francs ($11.28 billion) in assets, a source close to the matter told Reuters. The U.S. bank is looking at several options, one of which is an outright sale, the person said. (Full Story)

 

** Verizon Communications VZ.N is in talks with content providers to deliver web-based TV services to mobile platforms, Chief Executive Lowell McAdam said at an investor conference on Tuesday.(Full Story)

 

** Hong Kong investment firm Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Ltd 0001.HK may block Australian gas transporter APA Group’sAPA.AX A$2.06 billion ($1.84 billion) takeover of smaller rival Envestra Ltd ENV.AX, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. (Full Story)

 

** France’s Imerys S.A. IMTP.PA raised its offer to buy U.S. minerals and materials group Amcol International Corp ACO.N to about $1.47 billion, topping an offer from Minerals Technologies Inc MTX.N. (Full Story)

 

** Brazilian real estate developer BR Properties SA BRPR3.SA will sell most of its industrial warehouses and logistics facilities to Singapore-listed Global Logistic Properties Ltd GLPL.SI for 3.18 billion reais ($1.36 billion), according to a securities filing. (Full Story)

 

** The British government is close to appointing investment bank UBS AG UBSN.VX to advise on the possible sale of its 40 percent stake in Eurostar, the fast speed train that links Britain to Europe, four sources told Reuters.

The stake could fetch around 300 million pounds ($500 million) according to the sources, who are familiar with the situation. (Full Story)

 

** Poland’s KI Chemistry, controlled by the country’s richest man, Jan Kulczyk, has launched a 1.03 billion zloty ($338 million) bid for state-controlled chemicals maker Ciech CIEP.WA. KI Chemistry, owned by holding company Kulczyk Investments, is seeking up to 66 percent of Ciech at 29.5 zlotys per share, with the state treasury welcoming Wednesday’s offer, which closes on Apr. 25. (Full Story)

 

** Norway’s third-largest mobile operator, Tele2 TEL2b.ST, has hired investment bank ABG Sundal Collier to review its options in Norway, including selling its operations there, after it lost a December auction for a mobile spectrum key for the development of its Norwegian network. (Full Story)

 

** Investment firm Heraldic Holding has bought an additional 13.9 percent stake in electricity infrastructure builder InfratekINFRAT.OL, lifting its overall holding to 94.6 percent, Heraldic said. (Full Story)

 

** British investment group Jupiter Fund Management’s second-biggest shareholder, private equity firm TA Associates, has sold its entire 11 percent stake for 197.2 million pounds. (Full Story)

 

** The private equity arm of Egyptian investment bank EFG-Hermes HRHO.CA has sold its 19 percent stake in United Arab Emirates jeweler Damas International to Qatar’s Mannai Corp MCCS.QA for $150 million, the company said. (Full Story)

 

** The founder of online gaming technology company Playtech PTEC.L is set to bank around 326 million pounds after ramping up the size of a share sale to over 15 percent, the company said. (Full Story)

 

** News reader company Flipboard said it has bought rival app Zite from CNN and struck a content partnership with the cable news network. (Full Story)

 

** French energy group GDF Suez Sa GSZ.PA is not interested in raising its stake in Italy’s Tirreno Power to above 50 percent, Aldo Chiarini, head of the Italian operations of GDF Suez said. (Full Story)

 

** Vivendi SA VIV.PA said that it had received two offers for telecom unit SFR from smaller rival Bouygues Telecom BOUY.PA and Altice SA ATCE.AS, the parent of local cable operator Numericable. (Full Story)

 

** Hungary’s state-owned energy group MVM plans to buy all or part of E.ON’s EONGn.DE Hungarian gas distribution and utility business as part of the government’s drive to increase its grip over the energy sector. (Full Story)

 

** Pakistan Telecommunication Co’s PTCA.KA bid for rival Warid Telecom, which would have created Pakistan’s largest mobile operator, has failed after the two groups could not agree a price. (Full Story)

 

($1 = 1.12 Australian dollars)
($1 = 3.05 Polish zlotys)
($1 = 0.6 British pounds)
($1 = 2.33 Brazilian reais)