Posted on November 20, 2009 at 2:45 PM
Filed under: Acquisitions | Corporate Strategy | Deal International
Tagged: Agrium , CF Industries , David Wilson , Dennis McGlone , Henry Slack , Irving Yoskowitz , John Lilly , Martha Hesse , Terra Industries

Hostile acquirer CF Industries Holdings Inc. (NYSE:CF) is closer to getting its target, rival fertilizer maker Terra Industries Inc. (NYSE:TRA), which voted out its chairman according to a preliminary proxy count in New York. On Friday, CF said all three of its director nominees were elected to Terra's board. Chairman...  Continue reading

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Posted on November 18, 2009 at 3:35 PM
Filed under: Corporate Strategy | Detroit Breakdown | Divesting and Restructuring
Tagged: general motors co.

Ron Bloom, the head of the White House automotive task force, reiterated the government's desire to reduce its majority stake in General Motors Co., telling Reuters the automaker could launch an initial public offering before the end of 2010.But the emphasis is on the word "could," as Bloom also echoed...  Continue reading

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Posted on November 18, 2009 at 8:37 AM
Filed under: Corporate Strategy
Tagged: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BKR.A) , Project Impact , Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) , Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett is known for his affinity for strong, basic businesses available at a bargain price. At first glance, that might explain why the Oracle of Omaha nearly doubled his stake in Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) in the third quarter, according to regulatory filings. The bargain price element is...  Continue reading

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Posted on November 17, 2009 at 3:24 PM
Filed under: Acquisitions | Corporate Strategy | Middle market | Sector Watch | Trends
Tagged: AdMob , Apple Inc. , Google , iPhone , iPod , Millennial Media

OK, it's not a huge revenue-generating battleground like Web search on a computer, but mobile advertising does offer some nice ancillary income and, if anything else, gives a maturing tech giant some street cred as still being the "cool kid on the block."That's part of the reason why it seems...  Continue reading

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Posted on November 17, 2009 at 11:04 AM
Filed under: Acquisitions | Corporate Strategy
Tagged: Applied Materials Inc. , Semitool Inc.

Applied Materials Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AMAT) deal to acquire Semitool Inc. (NASDAQ:STML) for $364 million in cash (The Deal Pipeline subscription required) is another reason for bankers, lawyers, the business press and other market watchers to trumpet that M&A is back. It's also the latest example of a corporation spending on deals...  Continue reading

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Posted on November 12, 2009 at 4:39 PM
Filed under: Acquisitions | Corporate Strategy | Deal International
Tagged: Cadbury , John Paulson , Kraft , Roger Carr

If Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE:KFT) raises its hostile offer for British confectioner Cadbury plc (NYSE:CBY), which it seems hedge fund manager John Paulson is betting on, European Commission approval is likely. So says Peter King, a corporate partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. On Nov. 11, the commission...  Continue reading

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Posted on November 12, 2009 at 8:00 AM
Filed under: Corporate Strategy
Tagged: Eaton Corp. , Richard Fearon

Eaton Corp. (NYSE:ETN) is an often-covered company here at Corporate Dealmaker, for two reasons: It has over the past decade been highly acquisitive, completing 50-plus transaction since 2000, and it has a formalized corporate development operation that breeds talent.  As we've reported previously, developing M&A talent throughout the organization is...  Continue reading

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Posted on November 11, 2009 at 4:51 PM
Filed under: Acquisitions | Corporate Strategy | Sector Watch | Trends
Tagged: 3Com Corp. , Hewlettt-Packard

In the fight for data center market share, Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HPQ) is the latest to make a move, acquiring 3Com Corp. (NASDAQ:COMS), a provider of Ethernet switching, for $7.90 per share in cash or about $2.7 billion. More details on HP's buy will follow on The Deal Pipeline (subscription required)....  Continue reading

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Posted on November 11, 2009 at 4:17 PM
Filed under: Corporate Strategy | Divesting and Restructuring | Integration
Tagged: dow chemical , rohm & haas

It has been a turbulent year for Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE:DOW). The new year saw the company's Kuwaiti partner pull out of a proposed joint venture, which in turn threw into doubt Dow's planned $16.3 billion purchase of Rohm and Haas Co. Lawsuits and negotiations followed, with Dow finally closing...  Continue reading

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Posted on November 11, 2009 at 12:48 PM
Filed under: Acquisitions | Corporate Strategy | Divesting and Restructuring
Tagged: black & decker , general electric co. , stanley works

With General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE) nearing a sale of its GE Security Inc. unit to United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), according to Bloomberg, it's worth drawing a contrast with another security unit that has recently made news in the deal world: the Stanley Security Solutions unit of Stanley Works (NYSE:SWK). It...  Continue reading

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