Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Wednesday February 13, 2013

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Wednesday February 13, 2013:

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Shares of Hess

spiked as high as 68.44 early Wednesday on chatter of a possible bid from Marathon Petrolum

. A spokesperson for Marathon declined comment on the report. A Hess spokesperson was not available for comment. Hess closed at $67.96 Wednesday, a gain of 1.5% on 2.5 times average volume.

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Shares of Las Vegas Sands

moved higher Wednesday on reports the companyt has hired an adviser to explore a potential breakup of the company. A spokesperson for the company was not available for comment. Las Vegas Sands closed at $53.60 Wednesday, a loss of $0.19 on twice average volume.

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Oracle

could be bidding to acquire the remainder of Mellanox Technologies

shares it does not already own, according to unconfirmed market chatter on Wednesday. Oracle currently owns 22% of Mellanox shares. A spokesperson for Mellanox declined comment on the rumor. An Oracle spokesperson was not available for comment. Mellanox Technologies closed at $54.17 Wednesday, a gain of 4.5% on average volume.

Time Warner

is reportedly in talks to sell most of its publishing unit to Meredith Corp., according to sources. Time Warner would retain ownership of Time, Sports Illustrated and Fortune magazines. A spokesperson for Time Warner declined comment on the report. Time Warner closed at $52.85 Wednesday, a gain of $0.35 on 1.5 times average volume.

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Kroger

was named Wednesday as a potential bidder for Harris Teeter Supermarkets

. Publix Supermarkets and Netherlands-based Koninklijke Ahold are also possible buyers, according to sources. Harris Teeter had declined comment on the original report on Tuesday. Harris Teeter closed at $40.72 Wednesday, a gain of 3% on 5 times average volume.

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The boards of US Airways

and AMR Corp.

approved the $11 billion merger on Wednesday, according to sources. The all-stock deal will be announced officially on Thursday. US Airways closed at $14.66 Wednesday, a gain of 2.73% on 1.5 times average volume.

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Best Buy

founder Richard Schulze may end his bid to takeover the electronics retailer, according to sources. Schulze is reportedly struggling to get financing for the deal. As an alternative, Schulze may get investors to take a minority stake. In August 2012, Schulze semt a letter to the board, indicating he would pay $24 to $26 per share for Best Buy. Best Buy closed at $15.12 Wednesday, a loss of 2% on average volume.

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Multiple sources reported Friday that Michael Dell and investor Silver Lake could increase their offer for Dell

in the face of rising pressure from shareholders. On Tuesday, analyst Peter Misek of Jefferies said the bid for Dell could go as high as $15 per share. On February 5, Dell agreed to be taken private at $13.65 per share. Several large investors have expressed their dissatisfaction with the offer. Dell closed at $13.77 Wednesday, a loss of $0.02 on average volume.