UPDATE 2-Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitions
(Updates Fortis; adds Exista, Cepsa and others)
Oct 10 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 1330 GMT on Friday.
(For Reuters columns on deals, click on [DEALTALK\] )
** Shares in South Africa's Telkom (TKGJ.J) jumped almost 5 percent on Friday after Vodafone (VOD.L) offered to pay it 22.5 billion rand ($2.48 billion) for a controlling stake in mobile operator Vodacom.
To read more, please double click on [ID:nLA216787]
** Japan's top drug wholesaler Mediceo Paltac Holdings (7459.T) will take over No. 2 Alfresa Holdings (2784.T) in a $2 billion stock deal to better cope with falling prices and tough competition. [ID:nT149401]
** Icelandic investment firm Exista EXISTA.IC said it had decided to sell its 39.6 percent stake in the Bakkavor group to founders and directors of the Icelandic food company. [ID:nSAT005704]
** Abu Dhabi fund IPIC has abandoned talks to buy 36 percent of Spanish oil group Cepsa (CEP.MC) from Banco Santander (SAN.MC) and Union Fenosa UNF.MC, daily El Economista said, citing sources involved in the talks. [ID:nLA18196]
** Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306.T), Japan's largest bank, said it has no plans to pull out of a planned $9 billion investment in Morgan Stanley (MS.N), even as shares of the U.S. bank continue to tumble. [ID:nT52250]
** The Dutch Finance Ministry has denied a report that Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) may buy Fortis Bank Nederland instead of ABN AMRO's Dutch operations, a deal put on hold by the nationalisation of Fortis's Dutch holdings. [ID:nLA190235]
** Abacus Group Plc ABU.L, a British distributor of electronic components, said it had agreed to a takeover offer from U.S.-based Avnet Inc (AVT.N) which values the company at about 42.2 million pounds ($72.93 million) [ID:nLA603624]
** British natural resources consultancy RPS Group Plc (RPS.L) said it is buying smaller rival Paras Ltd for up to 6.4 million pounds ($11.03 million) in cash and shares, to complement its expansion strategy. [ID:nBNG40031]
** Hungary's MOL MOLB.BU secured a total of 22.15 percent of Croatian oil group INA INA.ZA (HINAq.L) in a public tender, the Croatian regulator said, making it the biggest shareholder with a 47.15 percent stake. [ID:nLA31352]
** Textiles firm S kumars Nationwide (SKMK.BO) said it has finalised the purchase of Italian shirt fabrics maker Leggiuno SpA through a wholly-owned Italian unit. [ID:nBOM400404]
(Compiled by Tina Kwan in Singapore and Mary Meyase in Bangalore)
