Wall Street's M&A Chatter From July 20: Scripps Network, Rent-A-Center, Aircastle, Advisory Board

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Thursday, July 20, 2017.

Bloomberg Says Discover, Viacom Both Said To Be Vying To Buy Scripps, Talks Are Said To Be Advanced With Deal Possible As Soon As This Month

The Rumor:

Scripps Network Interactive, Inc. SNI moved higher after Bloomberg reported that both Discovery Communications Inc DISCA and Viacom, Inc. VIAB are in talks to buy the company and that a deal could be reached this month. The acquisition is likely to be funded with a mixture of cash and shares, sources told Bloomberg

Scripps closed at $79.01, up $2.12.

AirFinance Journal Reports Aircastle is Considering Merger

The Rumor:

Shares of Aircastle Limited AYR spiked higher as AirFinance Journal reported the company was exploring a sale following an approach. Last month, the company named Michael Inglese as its permanent CEO replacement.

Aircastle closed at $23.97, up $2.20.

DealReporter Says Advisory Board Close to Deal Announcement

The Rumor:

The Advisor Board Company ABCO shares traded as high as $58.20 as DealReporter said the consulting company was close to a deal with UnitedHealth Group Inc UNH and Vista Equity Partners. Sources say a deal could come as early as this week.

Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that UNH would acquire ABCO's health care division, while Vista would acquire the education unit for as much as $1.5 billion.

Advisory Board closed at $56.90, up 10 cents.

Rent-A-Center Receives Interest from Two PE firms,

The Rumor:

Shares of Rent-A-Center Inc RCII spiked to $13 following a DealReporter story that two private equity firms have expressed interest. On July 5, Rent-A-Center confirmed it had rejected an offer from Vintage Capital Management for $15.00 per share.

Rent-A-Center closed at $12.58, up 21 cents.