All articles tagged with #mergers acquisitions and takeovers
GoPro is merging with Starman Optical in a deal that pays GoPro shareholders $285 million in cash and preserves about 10% ownership in the combined company, as the new entity expands into AI infrastructure, defense markets and government contracts while eliminating roughly $92 million of debt. The move keeps GoPro’s existing products in production and is expected to close by year-end, with the stock up about 105% so far this week.
GoPro, Inc. and privately held Starman Optical have signed a definitive merger agreement under which GoPro will pay about $285 million in cash (roughly $1.14 per share) and retire roughly $92 million of GoPro debt at closing, leaving the combined company debt-free and GoPro shareholders owning roughly 10% of the new entity. The deal would add Starman’s U.S.-made optical transceivers to GoPro’s portfolio, expanding into AI infrastructure and defense markets while continuing support for GoPro’s existing products and cloud services. The transaction is subject to regulatory and GoPro shareholder approvals and is expected to close by year-end 2026. Houlihan Lokey and Fenwick & West are advising the parties."
A consortium led by Advent and Stripe has dropped its pursuit of PayPal, after reportedly offering more than $50 billion. PayPal’s shares dipped later, with the stock showing volatility as the market valued PayPal around $52.6 billion, but sources said the initial bid was insufficient and talks have paused, leaving open the possibility of a revived deal in the future.
Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management is nearing a formal take-private bid for Wendy’s, potentially with BlueFive Capital and Flynn Group; Wendy’s stock jumped about 12% on the report as Trian’s stake (>24% combined) could trigger board review and a private-sale process if a bid materializes, though timing remains uncertain after Wendy’s weak Q2 results and dividend cut.
AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb are reportedly in talks to merge, with a combined value near $400 billion that would create one of the world's largest pharma groups; no deal terms have been disclosed and talks could stall. Such a cross-border deal would face antitrust reviews in the US, UK, and EU, with investors awaiting more detail ahead of the Q3 2026 results in late October.
Paramount Skydance plans to merge Paramount+ and HBO Max into a single streaming platform after its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, aiming to exceed 200 million subscribers; details on library integration and pricing are unclear, with a late-2026 close pending regulatory approval and the combined group carrying roughly $79 billion in net debt.