Mergers and Acquisitions

Smith & Wesson Holding Corp.'s accessories unit, Battenfeld Technologies, Inc., said Monday it would buy knife maker Taylor Brands for $85 million in cash, expanding its knife and tool portfolio.

SoftBank has agreed to buy UK chip designer ARM Holdings in a $32.2 billion deal.

Germany's Bayer AG made a revised takeover bid for Monsanto Co. after previous attempts to seal the mega deal were rebuffed.

Germany's Bayer AG made a revised takeover bid for Monsanto Co. after previous attempts to seal the mega deal were rebuffed.

Seed company Monsanto Co, which rejected Bayer AG's buyout offer in May, is exploring various transactions, including the acquisition of BASF's agriculture-solutions unit, Bloomberg reported.

Seed company Monsanto Co, which rejected Bayer AG's buyout offer in May, is exploring various transactions, including the acquisition of BASF's agriculture-solutions unit, Bloomberg reported.

Struggling Japanese electronics maker Sharp approved a downgraded buyout proposal from Foxconn Technology Group on Wednesday, pushing months of negotiations closer to a conclusion.

Yahoo Inc. has given potential suitors two weeks to submit preliminary bids for its core Web business and Asian assets, according to people familiar with the matter.

NTT Data, a subsidiary of Japan's largest telecommunications group Nippon Telegraph & Telephone, said Monday it had agreed to purchase Dell's information-technology-services division for $3.05 billion.

Yum Brands Inc. is considering selling a stake in its Chinese operation as part of a plan by the restaurant giant to spin off the once-fast-growing business.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide said it had agreed to a sweetened $13.6 billion deal with Marriott International on Monday, trumping last week's boosted bid from Chinese insurer Anbang Insurance Group.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. has received a takeover offer from a group led by China's Anbang Insurance Group Co., threatening to upend Starwood's $12.2 billion tie-up with Marriott International Inc.

Rovi said it would acquire TiVo Inc. for about $1.1 billion, a tie-up that comes as consumers are increasingly changing how they watch videos.

Comcast is in talks to buy DreamWorks Animation for more than $3 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, in a deal that could make the cable giant a rival to Walt Disney in the lucrative family-entertainment business.

Verizon Communications' pursuit of Yahoo received a boost as several prominent suitors opted not to make offers for the beleaguered Internet company.

The parent company of the Daily Mail, the British newspaper and global tabloid website, is in talks with several private-equity firms about a possible bid for Yahoo Inc., people familiar with the matter said.

A day after the Obama administration limited the ability of U.S. companies to do international deals to lighten their tax burdens, Pfizer and Allergan terminated their planned $150 billion merger and other companies around the globe raced to assess the impact of the new rules.

Alaska Air said Monday morning that it had reached a deal to buy Virgin America, winning a frenzied bidding war with rival JetBlue Airways.

Monsanto Co. rejected Bayer AG's $62 billion takeover offer, saying the biotech seed giant's business merited a higher price, though Monsanto said it remains open to further talks on a deal.

DuPont and Dow Chemical Co. provided more details about plans for the leadership team following the planned merger of the chemical giants, including leadership for the three businesses that eventually would be split off.