Benzinga'a M&A Chatter for Friday August 3, 2012

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Friday August 3, 2012:

:

Alexion Pharmaceuticals

was the subject of takeover chatter on Friday, with Roche (RHHBY) the rumored buyer for as much as $128 per share, according to sources. Spokespersons for both Alexion and Roche declined comment on the Rumor. Alexion Pharmaceuticals closed at $106.96 Friday, a gain of 4.56% on 1.5 times average volume.

:

Citizens Republic Bancorp

has hired JP Morgan as an adviser to solicit bids from potenital buyers, according to

. Huntington Bancshares

is rumored to be one of the potential bidders. Citizens Republic Bancorp closed at $19.24 Friday, a gain of 9.07% on almost 4 times average volume.

:

EOG Resources

may be interested in acquiring Ultra Petroleum

, according to sources. The rumor followed EOG's solid earnings report on Thursday. Spokespersons for the two companies were not available for comment. Ultra Petroleum closed at $21.01 Friday, a loss of 2.14% on 1.5 times average volume.

:

Rumors were rampant surrounding Knight Trading Group

Friday, following Wednesday's trading glitch disaster, which threatened the survival of the company. Rumors of bankruptcy, a breakup of the company and an outright sale, left traders unsure of Knight's future. The company reported a pre-tax loss of $440 million from the event. Knight receive a line of credit to keep it operating for the day on Friday, according to the

. Friday's chatter showed interest from KKR

, TPG and Silver Lake Partners in saving Knight, in pieces or as a whole. Spokespersons from KKR and TPG declined comment. Another rumored buyer, Citadel, who was mentioned on Thursday, also declined to comment on rumored discussions with Knight. Knight Trading Group closed at $4.05 Friday, a gain of 57% on 17 times average volume.

:

Publicis of France is considering bidding for Interpublic Group

, according to

. The bid is rumored to be in the area of $15.00 per share. IPG issued the following statement regarding the article: “We are aware of the activity in our stock today. It is our policy not to comment on market rumors or speculation.” Interpublic Group closed at $10.97 Friday, a gain of 13.33% on 5.5 times average volume.