Benzinga's Weekend M&A Chatter

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Friday June 5, through Sunday June 7, 2015: Shire Considers $18.32B Takeover of Actelion The Rumor:
Shire plc SHPG has approached Swiss drug company Actelion Ltd ALIOF regarding a potential £12 billion buyout, according to sources as reported by the UK's Sunday Times. The contact was made several weeks ago, according to the sources. Shire is said to have discussed an offer of CHF160 per share for Actelion, a premium of 21% over Friday's closing price. Shire declined comment on the report. An Actelion spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. Shire shares lost $0.26 Friday, to close at $251.51. JA Solar Receives 'Going Private' Proposal of $9.69/ADS The Offer:
JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. JASO announced Friday, that its Board has received a preliminary "going private" proposal from Chairman and CEO Baofang Jin and Jinglong Group Co., Ltd., to acquire all of the outstanding shares of JASO not already owned by the buyer group, for $9.69 per ADS (each ADS represents five ordinary shares) ($1.938 per ordinary share) in cash, subject to conditions. The Board will form a special committee to consider the proposal. JA Solar shares rose more than 12% Friday, closing at $9.07. Cardinal Health to Acquire The Harvard Drug Group for ~$1.115B The Deal:
Cardinal Health, Inc. CAH announced Friday, plans to acquire The Harvard Drug Group for $1.115 billion using existing cash and new debt. The deal is expected to close in the beginning of FY 2016. Cardinal Health shares gained $0.43 Friday, closing at $88.04. Report Brazilian Billionaire May Bid for Diageo The Rumor:
Shares of Diageo plc DEO soared late Friday, on a report from Bloomberg, that Brazilian billionaire Jorge Paulo Lemann is considering a bid for the UK-based liquor manufacturer. Lemann runs 3G Captital, which together with Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, acquired H.J. Heinz in 2013, and arranged a deal to merge it with Kraft Foods Group, Inc. KRFT this year. Diageo shares gained 8% Friday, closing at $118.00. GE Near Deal to Sell PE Lending Unit to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board The Rumor:
General Electric GE is near a deal to sell its private-equity lending unit to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, according to the Wall Street Journal. The deal reportedly will include more than $10 billion of assets, but less than $16 billion, according to sources. The report says it is possible the deal could still fall apart. GE shares gained $0.03 Friday, closing at $27.29. Monsanto Adds $2B Reverse Break-up Fee to Offer The Offer:
Monsanto Company MON on Sunday, reaffirmed its CHF449 cash and stock offer for Syngenta SYT and added a new $2 billion reverse break-up fee payable by Monsanto if it is unable to obtain necessary global regulatory approvals. Syngenta announced on May 8, it had rejected Monsanto's same CHF449 bid. Syngenta shares lost 1.5% Friday, closing at $88.33, while Monsanto gained $0.22, to end the day at $113.80.