Worthington in Play?

With the surge in M&A activity, Wall Street analysts have been running screens on prospective targets. The latest report: A Prudential analyst thinks that Worthington Industries, Inc (NYSE:WOR) is in play.

Actually, this is a bit of a no-brainer. In fact, on the news, the company's stock price has surged 11% (there is also heavy option buying).

Founded in 1955, Worthington Industries processes steel for a variety of industries, such as construction, aerospace and automotive (the company's tagline is "stability in motion"). Sales are about $3 billion – and growing.

As for the Prudential analyst, he thinks that Worthington is the target for the world's biggest steel company, Mittal Steel Company N.V (AMS:IST).

Basically, this would be a way for Mittal to get better distribution in the US. Over the years, Worthington has built a comprehensive information technology (IT) system. To replicate this would be expensive and time-consuming.

But, keep in mind, this analysis is really based on computer models – and some old-fashioned human analysis. In other words, it is still speculation.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and operates DealProfiles.com.