Visa, Shire The Latest Adding To Merger Frenzy

• U.S. futures were trading slightly higher early Monday morning as investors were likely encouraged by major M&A announcements.
• Visa Inc V has agreed to acquire Visa Europe Ltd. in a deal valued up to 21.2 billion euros, while Shire PLC (ADR) SHPG announced it will acquire Dyax Corp. DYAX for $5.9 billion.
• General Electric Company GE announced that it has officially completed the acquisition of Alstom's power and grid business.

Visa Announces Acquisition Of Visa Europe

Visa announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Visa Europe for up to 21.2 billion euros (approximately $23.4 billion). Visa will pay 16.5 billion euros up front and up to an additional 4.7 billion euros based on revenue targets set for four years after the deal closes.

Prior to the acquisition, Visa Europe was owned and operated by member banks and other payment service providers across Europe. The association oversaw more than 1.5 trillion euros in payments volumes across 38 countries in 2015.

Visa said in its press release that its acquisition positions the company to "create value through increased scale, efficiencies realized by the integration of both businesses, and benefits related Visa Europe's transition from an association to a for-profit enterprise."

See Also: Benzinga's Weekend M&A Chatter

Shire Announces Acquisition Of Dyax

Shire announced on Monday that it will acquire Dyax for $37.30 in cash, valuing the deal at $5.9 billion.

Dyax, a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) and other Plasma-Kallikrein-Mediated (PKM) Disorders, saw its shares close on Friday at $27.53.

Dyax shareholders may also receive additional value through a non-tradable contingent value right that will pay $4.00 in cash per Dyax share upon approval of DX-2930 in HAE, representing a potential $646 million in aggregate continent consideration.

"This highly complementary transaction aligns with and accelerates our strategy to build a global leading biotechnology company focused on rare diseases and specialty conditions," Shire's CEO Flemming Ornksov said in a press release. It adds to our portfolio of best-in-class therapies addressing unmet needs in our core therapeutic areas, expanding and extending our leadership position in HAE. We have closely followed DX-2930's progress in the evolving HAE landscape for some time, and we admire the work of the Dyax team in moving this next-generation therapy forward. Through compelling proof of concept clinical data, this potentially transformative therapy has been shown to be both highly efficacious and convenient, two key product attributes desired by both physicians and patients."

General Electric Announces Completion Of Alstom Acquisition

General Electric announced its intentions to acquire Alstom's power and grid business for 12.35 billion euros in 2014. The acquisition required the regulatory approval of many governments worldwide, including the United States European Union, China, India, Japan and Brazil.

General Electric announced on Monday that it has finalized the acquisition.

"The complementary technology, global capability, installed base, and talent of Alstom will further our core industrial growth," the company's CEO Jeff Immelt said in its press release. "We are open for business and ready to deliver one of the most comprehensive technology offerings in the energy sector for our customers."

Report: Pfizer, Allergan To Reach Agreement By Thanksgiving

Pfizer Inc. PFE and Allergan PLC AGN have already confirmed that they are engaged in preliminary friendly discussions to potentially combine businesses.

Bloomberg reported late last week that both sides are looking to finalize discussions and potential reach an agreement by Thanksgiving.