Mergers and Acquisitions

Hillshire Brands formally agreed to a $7.7 billion deal to be acquired by Tyson Foods, which has long sought to expand its portfolio of branded products sold in grocery stores.

Twitter had multiple mobile ad announcements on Monday, including its acquisition of TapCommerce, a New York advertising technology firm. The social media company is also introducing ads for mobile app installations.

TreeHouse Foods reached a deal with private equity firm Gryphon Investors to buy Flagstone Foods for $860 million, as the company continues to diversify its private-label offerings.

Cigarette maker Philip Morris International Inc cut its earnings forecast for 2014 and said it is proving to be a "complex and truly atypical" year for the company.

Alcoa reached a deal with Oak Hill Capital Partners to buy Firth Rixson, a maker of jet engine parts, for $2.85 billion.

Google's Nest Labs will buy home-monitoring camera startup Dropcam for about $555 million in cash, taking another step deeper into consumers' homes.

Wisconsin Energy has a deal in place to acquire Integrys Energy Group for $5.71 billion, expanding the utility company's reach to more markets in the Midwest.

Pipeline operator Williams Companies agreed to a $6 billion deal to acquire full ownership of Access Midstream Partners, seeking to capitalize on the surge in domestic natural gas production.

Hillshire's board withdrew its recommendation for a deal to acquire Pinnacle Foods, inching the company closer to a takeover by Tyson Foods.

Medtronic announced a $42.9 billion deal to acquire rival medical device maker Covidien, creating a formidable competitor to Johnson & Johnson's device business.

Botox maker Allergan said its board rejected the latest buyout offer from Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Bill Ackman's Pershing Square.

Family Dollar adopted a one-year poison pill with a trigger of 10% after Carl Icahn upped his stake in the discount retailer. 

Tyson outlasted Pilgrim’s Pride in a race to acquire Hillshire, agreeing to buy the maker of Jimmy Dean sausage and Ball Park franks for $8.5 billion.

Pilgrim's Pride upped its offer for Hillshire Brands, escalating a bidding war with Tyson Foods for the maker of Jimmy Dean sausages. 

Activist investor Bill Ackman is calling for a special meeting of Allergan shareholders in hopes of ousting six board members, according to a regulatory filing on Monday.

Marathon Oil agreed to sell its Norwegian assets to Det Norske Oljeselskap in a $2.7 billion deal, as the energy firm continues to strengthen its focus on U.S. production.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals said it would hike its cash-and-stock offer to buy Botox-maker Allergan -- a move that's backed by Pershing Square's Bill Ackman.

Tyson Foods entered into the race to acquire Hillshire Brands, launching a cash bid of $6.8 billion for the maker of Ball Park hot dogs and Jimmy Dean sausage.

Apple inked a deal on Wednesday to buy Beats Music and Beats Electronics, the music streaming and hardware businesses operated by Dr. Dre, for $3 billion. Why Apple Trimmed its Offer for Beats Music

Valeant sweetened its takeover bid for Botox maker Allergan, offering to buy the company for $49.4 billion.