Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Wednesday October 29, 2014 - Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT), Check Point Software (NASDAQ:CHKP)

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Wednesday October 29, 2014:

PE Firms Prepare Bids for PetSmartThe Rumor

Shares of PetSmart, Inc.

PETM

surged higher Wednesday, on a report from

WSJ, that private equity firms, including Apollo, Hellman & Friedman and KKR are preparing bids for the pet retailer. First round bids were reportedly due on Wednesday. PetSmart confirmed in August, it was exploring strategic alternatives, including a potential sale, on pressure from activist investor, Jana Partners. PetSmart closed Wednesday at $71.48, a gain of 2%. Abbott Acquires Topera for $250M Upfront Payment The Deal:
Abbott ABT announced Wednesday, that it has agreed to acquire medical device company, Topera, for $250 million upfront, plus potential future payments tied to performance milestones. The deal is expected to close in Q4 of this year. Abbott closed Wednesday at $42.74, a gain of$0.20. Hearing Unconfirmed Takeover Chatter in CyberArk The Rumor:
Shares of Cyber-Ark Software Ltd. CYBR, rose Wednesday on unconfirmed takeover chatter. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. CHKP is the rumored buyer for $45.00 per share. CyberArk gained 8% Wednesday, to close at $34.91

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