Visit our Filed page for categories. To browse by specific topic, see our Inside page. For a list of companies covered on this site, visit our Companies page.
AES Corp. will buy the regional power company DPL Inc. for about $3.5 billion in cash, the companies said Wednesday, accelerating a consolidation in the industry that is already well under way.
With costs rising and environmental regulations on the horizon, utilities are bulking up so that they can better shoulder the load. The recession also hit the sector hard because major customers like industrial plants and factories have shut down. Get the full story »
Abbott researchers using a robot to test compounds. (Lane Christiansen/Tribune)
Abbott Laboratories’ first-quarter profits dipped 14 percent thanks largely to restructuring costs of its pharmaceutical business that led to a major layoff announcement earlier this year.
The North Chicago-based drug and medical product giant, which in January said it would slash 1,900 jobs, including 1,000 in Illinois, reported $864 million in profits, or 55 cents a share. That compares to earnings of $1 billion, or 64 cents a share in the first quarter of 2010. Get the full story »
Employees work inside Groupon's headquarters at 600 W Chicago Ave., Feb. 15, 2011. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago-based daily deal giant Groupon has acquired Pelago, the Seattle-based maker of Whrrl, a location-based mobile game for people to share recommendations on fun activities.
Financial terms of the deal, which was announced on Groupon and Pelago’s respective blogs on Monday, were not disclosed. Pelago Chief Executive Jeff Holden will oversee product development at Groupon, and many of the company’s employees will assume “integral roles in future Grouponnovations,” Groupon CEO Andrew Mason wrote in his blog post. Get the full story »
Baxter International Inc. said it will pay at least $170 million to buy a specialty drug maker that has high hopes for a heart drug used in hospitals to treat irregular heart beats. Get the full story »
U.S. heavy machinery maker Caterpillar will buy Balfour Beatty Plc.’s trackwork manufacturing business that makes rail switches and crossings, Balfour said on Friday. Get the full story »
Drugstore.com rejected a pair of lower offers from Walgreen Co. during a yearlong courtship before accepting a third proposal worth about $429 million, the Bellevue, Wash.-based Internet retailer disclosed in a regulatory filing Wednesday.
Drugstore.com agreed March 23 to be bought by Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain, for $3.80 a share in cash, a 111 percent premium over the stock’s closing price a week earlier. The planned purchase, which is subject to approval by drugstore.com shareholders, is expected to be final by the end of June. Get the full story »
France’s Schneider Electric SA, which has its U.S. headquarters in Palatine, has made a preliminary bid for approximately $30 billion for Tyco International Ltd., according to people familiar with the matter, hoping to draw the Swiss-based conglomerate to the negotiating table. Get the full story »
NYSE Euronext’s speedy rejection of a bid from Nasdaq OMX Group Inc and IntercontinentalExchange Inc could play into their hands, a veteran of the last bidding war for a U.S. exchange said. Get the full story »
Schneider Electric, the world’s largest maker of voltage equipment, is considering a takeover offer for industrial conglomerate Tyco International Ltd, but the idea is at an early stage and no deal is imminent, Bloomberg reported.
Schneider is working with bankers to help it weigh up a potential purchase of Tyco, Bloomberg said on its website, citing people with knowledge of the matter that it did not identify. Get the full story »
Nasdaq OMX Group and IntercontinentalExchange Inc are not going to walk away from their bid for NYSE Euronext, despite the NYSE board’s rejection of the unsolicited offer, according to people familiar with the matter. Get the full story »
Thomas & Friends trains at a factory in China, Sept. 28, 2007. (Michael Lassman/Chicago Tribune )
Oak Brook toy company RC2 Corp. said Monday that the 30-day period during which it could solicit alternative buyout proposals has ended.
Last month, Japanese rival Tomy Co. agreed to purchase the maker of the Chuggington and Thomas & Friends line toy products in an all-cash deal valued at about $640 million. Get the full story »
The board of NYSE Euronext on Sunday unanimously rejected a takeover proposal from IntercontinentalExchange Inc. and Nasdaq OMX Group to break up the company, and reaffirmed its commitment to agreed merger partner Deutsche Boerse AG. Get the full story »
Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. said Monday it is buying urology and pelvic health company American Medical Systems Inc. for about $2.6 billion. Get the full story »
Shares of Expedia rose 13 percent Friday as analysts hailed the online travel agency’s TripAdvisor separation plan as a way to unlock potential value. Get the full story »
The Justice Department approved Google’s purchase of ticketing software company ITA Software as long as ITA’s products remain available to Google’s rivals. Get the full story »
