MAJOR PAPERS:

• According to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), citing people familiar with the matter, Community Health Systems Inc (NYSE: CYH) is near a deal to purchase Triad Hospitals (NYSE: TRI), which would break up an existing $4.5B private-equity buyout plan.
• The Wall Street Journal's "Heard on the Street" column reported that rumors are swirling that Infineon Technologies ADS (NYSE: IFX) will be chosen to supply the main chip to drive the upcoming iPhone from Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL).

• The Business Standard reported that Reliance Industries is reportedly in advanced discussions with Nova Chemicals Corporation (NYSE: NCX), the plastics and petrochemicals firm, to form a joint venture.
• According to the U.K. Times, Barclays plc ADS (NYSE: BCS) will announce today its formal interest in buying Netherlands bank ABN Amro Holdings (NYSE: ABN) for a price of up to a little less than EUR60B, or EUR31.3 per share, according to reports.
• Dow Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ) is trying to buy the Financial News for GBP25M, the U.K. Times reported.
• The Sunday Telegraph reported that Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is planning a 'beauty tea' in conjunction with L'Oreal ADR (OTC: LRLCY), called Lumae.
• According to Google Inc's (NASDAQ: GOOG) official blog, it has acquired Adscape media. Terms were not disclosed.

Newspaper wrap-up 3-19-07: M&A in focus originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Mar 2007 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Lately, private equity has been buying-up hospitals, with the biggest deal being the purchase of HCA for $33 billion.

The latest foray? It's the buyout of Triad Hospitals (NYSE: TRI).

True, it's not as big as the HCA -- but it is still sizeable. The valuation is about $6.4 billion, which includes $1.7 billion in assumed debt. The buyers include CCMP Capital Advisors, which was once a part of JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), and GS Capital Partners, which is the private equity fund for Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS).

As for Triad, the company owns and manages 54 hospitals and 13 surgery centers. It also has a hospital management division. Interestingly enough, Triad was a spin-off from HCA in 1999.

More recently, Triad has been in a proxy battle with TPG-Axon, which is a hedge fund. In other words, CCMP and GS Capital may really be white knights. Nevertheless, the transaction includes a "go shop" provision, which allows Triad to seek-out other offers. And the break-up fee is fairly small (only $20 million).

Currently, Triad's stock price is up 15% to $49.80. The buyout bid is $50.25.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.

Private equity checking-in at Triad Hospitals originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Feb 2007 12:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As a public service to the devoted readers of BloggingStocks, I've decided to spread my own holiday cheer. Below is a quiz to test your knowledge of recent big business stories that you may have overlooked. If it were up to me, I would give away a really huge prize for getting the answers right, such as your weight in Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK/A) stock or shares of Google (Nasdaq:GOOG) at the IPO price. Alas, there is no prize that I can offer you other than the satisfaction of knowing that you are smarter than the average investor. The correct answers are at the bottom.

1) Heelys (NASDAQ: HLYS) -- As of October 31, how many people worked for the Carrollton, Texas-based maker of wheeled sneakers that have delighted Wall Street, and horrified school administrators and mall managers: a) 38; b) 380; c)3800; d) the number is dwarfed by the millions of annoyed parents shelling out $59 to $99 for a toy that their kids will grow out of and grow bored with in the next few months.

2) Triad Hospitals Inc. (NYSE:TRI) -- Triad Hospitals CEO James Shelton has recently told TPG Axon's Danakar Singh that he's found the hedge fund's recent missives that have criticized the management of the hospital chain to be: a) "productive and useful", b) "way off base")c)"beneath contempt" d) Shelton hasn't responded to Singh's letters.

3) AMC Entertainment -- How long has it been in fiscal years since the movie chain operator, which recently announced plans to go public, was profitable? A) 4; B)9; c)2; d) this company is profitable now.

4) Artes Medical (Nasdaq:ARTE) -- On October 26, the maker of injectable cosmetic products, CEO Dr. Stefan Lemperle got; A) a grant for 10,000 restricted shares; b) replaced because it was in the "best interests" of the company; c) a $10 million loan forgiven; d) a new type of collagen that makes him look 20 years younger.

5) Friendly Ice Cream (Amex:FRN) -- The Lion Fund's Sadar Biglari has vowed that if elected to the Friendly Ice Cream board, he and associate Philip Cooley would be; a) "technically and psychologically independent" b: "Eager to learn the restaurant business from a top-flight management team"; c)"interested in hiring co-founder S. Priestly Blake to run the company;" d) "eager to explore a merger with Applebee's (Nasdaq:APPB), which has also has been targeted by activist investors.

6) Trina Solar Ltd (NYSE:TSL) -- The Chinese-based solar power company said in its recent prospectus that auditors found: a) that its books complied with US and Chinese GAAP; b) That its books complied with Chinese GAAP but not US GAAP; c) that its books didn't comply with either US or Chinese GAAP; d) that its accounting "more than met" applicable standards.

7) Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) -- Lockheed Martin will no longer pick up executive's tab for; a) Country Club memberships; b) Local Town Car service; c) Tickets to sporting events; d) All of the above. (via Footnoted)

8) Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) -- According to the Washington Post, How did Google co-founder Sergey Brin dress when he went to lobby Congress? a) Jeans, silver mesh sneakers and a black t-shirt; b) a three-piece custom tailored suit; c) A tweed sports coat, dress shirt and Chinos; d) A golf shirt with a Google logo, tan Dockers and cowboy boots.

9) Tribune (NYSE:TRB) -- Which of the following rich guys has NOT been reported to be interested in buying one or more Tribune properties; a) David Geffen; b) Eli Broad; c) Jack Welch; d:) Saudi Prince Alwaleed

10) Facebook -- How has Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg driven executives from Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) and other potential suitors crazy, according to the Wall Street Journal. a) Not available for scheduled 8 a.m. conference call because he wasn't awake; b) couldn't do a weekend meeting because his girlfriend was in town; c) A&B; d) Neither

Correct answers: 1) a but d also is acceptable. 2: d; 3:b; 4:B; 5:a; 6:c: 7:d; 8:a: 9) d; 10) c

Jonathan Berr is editor of http://www.desperateinvestors.com

Test your business trivia knowledge during the holidays originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Microsoft (MSFT) and Darden Restaurants (DRI) top today's list of upgrades.

• Credit Suisse upgraded Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) to "Outperform" from Neutral, citing the company's strengthening market position in digital entertainment and potential revenue upside.
• JP Morgan upgraded Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) to Neutral from Underweight, reflecting lower commodity costs and solid performance in Olive Garden.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Triad Hospitals, Inc. (NYSE:TRI) was upgraded from Reduce to Buy at UBS; the upgrade is based on the increased confidence Triad will implement strategic changes to increase shareholder value.
• Morgan Stanley expected a rebound in the ICD market and upgraded St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) to Overweight from Equal Weight.
• SafeNet Inc (NASDAQ:SFNT) was added to Stifel Nicolaus' Select List with a $31 target. SafeNet is said to be making progress with their stock option issues and they find the valuation to be attractive.

Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).

Analyst upgrades 11-20-06: Microsoft upgraded to Outperform originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Nov 2006 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.