Friday, November 24, 2006

Here are some of the takeover targets mentioned in the media today:
  • Allstate (NYSE:ALL) was mentioned by the Chicago Tribune - quoting a Morgan Stanley report - as a potential financial-services consolidation play.
  • Armor Holdings (NYSE:AH) was mentioned in BusinessWeek's Inside Wall Street column as a potential takeover target for Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT).
  • Boyd Gaming (NYSE:BYD) was also mentioned in BusinessWeek's Inside Wall Street column as a possible gaming consolidation play after Harrah's and Aztar recently closed such transactions.
  • Sangamo (NDAQ:SGMO) was also mentioned in BusinessWeek's Inside Wall Street column as the next biotech takeover, with partnerships already in place with Pfizer and Dow Chemical.
  • Technip (NYSE:TKP) was mentioned in La Tribune (a French newspaper), which stated Italian oil company Eni SpA may make a bid for the company.
Strong corporate performance and favorable economic conditions have spurred record M&A numbers this year. Until conditions change this trend is likely to continue, particularly in financial services and gaming. As a result, these stocks are definitely ones worth watching as any buyout would come at a significant premium to the current market price.