Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Thursday September 13, 2012

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Thursday September 13, 2012: Hearing Whiting Petroleum Hired Bank of America as Adviser The Rumor:
Whiting Petroleum WLL surged higher on a report from Deal Reporter the company has hired Bank of America/Merrill Lynch as an adviser to explore strategic alternatives, which could include a possible sale. A spokesperson for Whiting Petroleum declined comment on the rumor. Whiting Petroleum closed at $51.75 Thursday, a gain of 4.82% on 2.5 times average volume. Staples May be Attracting PE Interest The Rumor:
Staples SPLS has attracted private equity interest, according to Fortune. Among those companies rumored to be bidding is Bain Capital, which financed the launch of Staples in 1986. A Staples spokesperson was not available for comment. Staples closed at $11.96 Thursday, a gain of 3.64% on 3 times average volume. Hearing Kraft Could Make an Offer to Acquire SodaStream The Rumor:
SodaStream International SODA could be a takeover target of Kraft KFT, according to sources. Kraft and Pepsico PEP have been mentioned previously as potential suitors for the Israel-based maker of home beverage carbonation systems. Spokespersons for SodaStream and Kraft declined comment on the rumor. SodaStream International closed at $41.212 Thursday, a gain of 1.28% on average volume. Edelman Financial Group Shareholders Approve Merger Agreement The Merger:
Edelman Financial Group EF announced that its shareholders voted Thursday to adopt the previously announced merger agreement with an affiliate of Lee Equity Partners, a New York private equity firm. The parties intend to consummate the merger on September 19, 2012. Upon consummation of the merger, TEFG shareholders will receive $8.85 in cash for each share of TEFG common stock. At the completion of the transaction, TEFG will become a privately held company and its stock will no longer trade on the Nasdaq Stock Market.