Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Wednesday March 21, 2012

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Wednesday March 21, 2012:

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Zynga

announced Wednesday it has acquired New York-based social game developer OMGPOP, makers of the popular cultural hit mobile game, Draw Something, and over 35 additional social games. As a part of the Zynga family, OMGPOP will focus on building new mobile IP and strengthening its existing portfolio of fun and creative social games. "The OMGPOP team has created a game that's fun, expressive and engenders real social interaction," said Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of Zynga. "Draw Something has captured the imagination of millions of people around the world. We love the way they've worked playful and relevant culture into their games from Devo to Daft Punk, from Lin to Beckham. We're honored to have the opportunity to partner with and support such an innovative team of creative inventors." OMGPOP will remain headquartered in New York and report to David Ko, Chief Mobile Officer of Zynga. Zynga closed at $13.72 Wednesday, a gain of 2.54% on 1.8 times the average daily volume.

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Qualcomm

to buy JDS Uniphase

, according to sources. The price being mentioned is $21.50 per share. Cisco

was mentioned as a possible buyer at $13.50 back in December, but JDSU's share price has risen 40% since then. Benzinga spoke with representatives of both Qualcomm and JDS Uniphase Wednesday, but neither would comment on the rumor. JDS Uniphase closed at $14.15 Wednesday, a gain of 0.28% on 71% of the average daily volume.

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Novagold Resources

has put itself up for sale, according to

. Barrick Gold

is the rumored buyer. On March 12, Barrick Gold was rumored to be buying Agnico Eagle Mines

for $50 per share. A spokesperson for Barrick Gold would not comment on the rumor. A representative of Novagold was not available for comment. Novagold Resources closed at $7.13 Wednesday, a gain of 2.44% on more than twice the average daily volume.

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Watson Pharmaceutical

is close to a deal to buy generic drugmaker Actavis for between 5.0 billion And 5.5 billion Euros. A Watson Pharmaceutical spokesperson would not confirm the report. Watson Pharmaceutical shares rose steadily throughout the day Wednesday and closed at $63.69, a gain of 8.82% on average volume.

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Toshiba (TOSBY) is rumored once again to have an interest in acquiring SanDisk

for $62 per share. A similar rumor surfaced in January involving the same two companies, with a $60 offer. A spokesperson for SanDisk would not comment on the rumor. A Toshiba spokesperson was not available. SanDisk closed at $51.29 Wednesday, a gain of 2.66% on 1.25 times average volume.

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Sanofi

is looking at a takeover of Dendreon

, according to sources. The rumored sale price is between $16 and $18 per share. A March 13 rumor had GlaxoSmithKline

offering between $17 and $19 for the maker of the prostate cancer treatment Provenge. Spokespersons for Dendreon and Sanofi were not available for comment. Dendreon closed at $10.12 Wednesday, a gain of 1.91% on 65% of the average daily volume.

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Chevron

is in talks to acquire Tesoro

for $6 billion, according to sources. A spokesperson for Tesoro would not comment on the report. A Chevron representative was not available for comment. Tesoro closed at $28.64 Wednesday, a loss of 0.90% on average volume.

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Eli Lilly

has an interest in acquiring Forest Labs

, according to sources. Spokespersons for Forest Labs and Eli Lilly were not available for comment. Forest Labs closed at $33.34 Wednesday, a loss of 0.30% on 1.5 times the average daily volume.