hostile takeover news stories on Newser

Kraft Makes Hostile Bid for Cadbury

Sarah Quinn — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:07:12 CST

Kraft launched a hostile bid for UK candy giant Cadbury today. The offer values the company at more than $16 billion and asks Cadbury shareholders to accept a merger that its executives rejected, the Wall Street Journal reports. Kraft, which hopes to boost sales by gaining exposure to new markets,...

Roche Gets Genentech in $46.8B Biotech Deal

Harry Kimball — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:00:00 CDT

Swiss drug giant Roche has succeeded in its quest to own biotech firm Genentech outright, and will purchase the 44% of shares it does not already own for $95 each, the San Francisco Chronicle reports today. The $46.8 billion deal comes after months of haggling, wherein Roche offered as...

Booming China Flexing Its M&A Muscle

Jim O'Neill — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:00:00 CDT

Chinese companies are on a buying binge, snapping up $42 billion worth of foreign assets in the first 6 months of 2008. That's a 500% increase over the previous year, and equal to the combined value of takeovers from 2000 to 2006, reports DealBook in the New York Times. And,...

InBev Brews Plan to Oust Anheuser-Busch Directors

Jim O'Neill — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:15:40 CDT

InBev is turning up the heat in its $46.35-billion attempt to take over St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch, seeking to replace the company's board with a new slate of directors. The move aims to allow shareholders a direct say on the merger bid that was spurned last month, reports the Wall...

Budweiser to Reject InBev Offer

John Johnson — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:00:07 CDT

Anheuser-Busch plans to reject Belgian brewer InBev's $46 billion offer to buy the company, the Wall Street Journal reports. The decision is not expected to deter InBev, however, which could launch a hostile takeover bid, the Journal notes. InBev wants to acquire the St. Louis brewer—the maker of Budweiser—...

Belgians Eye $46B Anheuser-Busch Takeover

Will McCahill — Fri, 23 May 2008 18:51:55 CDT

A Belgian brewing giant whose brands include Stella Artois is contemplating a $46 billion takeover of Anheuser-Busch, the Financial Times reports today. If CEO August Busch IV denies Belgium's InBev, as he reportedly did in October, the company may go directly to shareholders. InBev is also contemplating a partnership with...

Icahn Grabs Yahoo Stake, Could Try to Force Sale

Will McCahill — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:39:02 CDT

A new player has entered the Microsoft-Yahoo epic, the Wall Street Journal reports: billionaire investor Carl Icahn. He has bought about a 4% stake in Yahoo since Microsoft withdrew its offer to buy on May 3. Icahn will decide by tomorrow whether to launch an attempt to take over Yahoo's...

Microsoft Edges Toward Hostile Bid

Rob Quinn — Fri, 02 May 2008 04:52:35 CDT

Microsoft appears to be edging closer to a hostile bid for Yahoo, the Wall Street Journal reports; an announcement of the company's next move is expected today. Price will be a key factor: CEO Steve Ballmer told employees yesterday he won't pay a "dime above" what he thinks Yahoo is...

Microsoft Still Pondering Yahoo Options

Rob Quinn — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:37:49 CDT

Microsoft's board met yesterday to discuss the next move in its bid for Yahoo but didn't make a decision, the Wall Street Journal reports. Directors have given CEO Steve Ballmer broad leeway to decide between going hostile or walking away from the bid, and insiders say it could still go...