Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Wednesday April 9, 2014

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Wednesday April 9, 2014:

Yongye Accepts Revised 'Going Private' Proposal of $7.10/Share; Enters into Amendment to Merger AgreementThe Deal

Yongye International

YONG

announced Wednesday that it has agreed to an amended proposal to be acquired in a 'going private' transaction at $7.10 per Share. That is up from the previous offer of $6.69 per share. The deal is expected to close before the end of Q3 of FY 2013. Yongye International shares closed Wednesday at $6.96, a gain of 2%.

Mars to Acquire Portion of P&G's Pet Food Business for $2.9B in CashThe Deal

Mars and Procter & Gamble

announced Wednesday that Mars has agreed to acquire the IAMS, EUKANUBA, and NATURA brands in major markets for $2.9 billion in cash. The companies expect to complete the transaction in H2 of 2014. Procter & Gamble closed Wednesday at $81.49, a gain of $0.14%.

News Corp Acquires UK Luxury Website OwnerThe Deal

News Corp

NWSNWSA

announced Wednesday the acquisition of Handpicked Companies, owner of The Handpicked Collection luxury website (www.handpickedcollection.com). Terms were not disclosed. News Corp closed Wednesday at $17.20, a gain of $0.15.

The Rumor:
Shares of Barnes & Noble BKS moved sharply higher Wednesday on a renewed rumor from Deal Reporter that it was considering a spinoff of its Nook business. Liberty Media LMCA announced on April 3 it had sold off most of its BKS stake, making a spinoff of Nook easier, according to the publication. A source close to the situation told Benzinga there was no truth to the rumor. Barnes & Noble closed Wednesday at $19.24, a gain of almost 6%.

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Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Wednesday April 9, 2014