Wall Street's M&A Chatter From January 26

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Thursday, January 26, 2017.

Ant Financial to Acquire MoneyGram for $13.25/Share in Cash

The Deal:

MoneyGram International Inc MGI and Alibaba Group Holding Inc BABA unit Ant Financial Services Group have agreed that MoneyGram will merge with Ant Financial. MoneyGram shareholders will receive $13.25 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $880 million.

The transaction is subject to the approval by MoneyGram stockholders and regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in H2 of 2017.

Moneygram closed Thursday at $12.92, up 8.75 percent.

Verizon Exploring Combination With Charter

The Rumor:

Verizon Communications Inc. VZ is said to be exploring a merger with Charter Communications, Inc. CHTR, according to sources as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Verizon is said to be working with advisors on a potential deal, following an initial approach by Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam, the sources said.

CNBC's David Faber said there were no significant talks taking place between the companies. A Charter spokesperson told Benzinga the company was not commenting on the Wall Street Journal report, while Verizon spokesperson Bob Varettoni tweeted his company's similar position.

Charter Communications closed at $333.15 on Thursday, up 7.36 percent. The Nasdaq cancelled all trades in Charter between 9:08 a.m. and 9:09 a.m. ET, when shares hit a high of $456.62.

Sanofi Said to Explore Acquisition of Tesaro

The Rumor:

Sanofi SA (ADR) SNY is said to be exploring an acquisition of Tesaro Inc TSRO, according to sources as reported by Street Insider. The sources say Morgan Stanley is working as an advisor on a potential deal.

Tesaro closed at $153.36 on Thursday, up 9.54 percent.