Wall Street's M&A Chatter From April 11: Panera, Amazon-Whole Foods, Loews -Consolidated Container

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Tuesday, April 11, 2017.

Amazon Considered Whole Foods Bid Last Fall

The Rumor:

Amazon.com Inc. AMZN considered a potential takeover of Whole Foods WFM last fall as part of its groceries strategy, but the company didn't pursue a deal, according to a source as reported by Bloomberg. The grocery chain is the subject of frequent takeover speculation, with Publix being mentioned on several occasions as a potential buyer.

On Monday, activist investor Jana Partners announced a stake in Whole Foods and is pushing the company to consider a sale.

Whole Foods closed at $33.55, and traded as high as $35.50 after-hours.

3G has No Interest in Bid for Panera

The Rumor:

Private Equity firm 3G Capital has no interest in competing for Panera Bread PNRA, following a bid of $315 by JAB Holdings on Monday, according to sources speaking to CNBC's David Faber. The New York Post reported Tuesday that the Buffett-backed firm could mount its own bid for Panera, according to their sources.

Panera closed at $313.83, up $0.52.

Loews Corporation to Acquire Consolidated Container for ~$1.2B

The Deal:

Loews Corporation L announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Consolidated Container Company from Bain Capital Private Equity for approximately $1.2 billion. The deal is expected to close in Q2 of 2017.

Loews closed at $47.21, down $0.25.