Mergers and Acquisitions

Hachette Book Group said Thursday it has scrapped its proposed three-way deal that would have had it buying the publishing division of the Perseus Book Group, while selling Perseus' client-service business to leading distributor Ingram Content Group.

Calls for a special meeting of Allergan shareholders to discuss a hostile takeover bid by rival drugmaker Valeant don't change the fact that the buyout offer is "grossly inadequate," Allergan said Wednesday.

Offshore drilling contractor Noble Corp. has completed the spinoff of Paragon Offshore PLC, owner of most of its standard specification drilling business.

Scientific Games says it will pay about $3.3 billion to buy slot machine maker Bally Technologies in a cash deal that expands its casino management system portfolio.

Concerns about the job a private vendor is doing feeding inmates in Ohio prisons are real, the head of a state prisons oversight committee said Wednesday.

Duke Energy Progress has agreed to purchase the generating capacity of ElectriCities in a $1.2 billion deal expected to translate into lower power bills for thousands of eastern North Carolina residents.

Waste Management is selling a subsidiary to Energy Capital Partners for $1.94 billion as part of its effort to focus on its core business.

Tyson Foods says it will sell its poultry businesses in Mexico and Brazil for $575 million in cash to help pay debt tied to its acquisition of Hillshire Brands.

Duke Energy Progress has agreed to purchase the generating capacity of ElectriCities in a $1.2 billion deal expected to translate into lower power bills for thousands of eastern North Carolina residents.

Breitburn Energy is buying QR Energy LP in a deal worth about $1.46 billion.

The parent company of Gatehouse Media has announced an agreement to buy The Providence Journal and related print and digital assets from A.H.

Botox-maker Allergan says it is cutting about 13 percent of its workforce, or roughly 1,500 employees, as part of a push to become more efficient and productive.

A Canadian company is buying PBS Coals Inc. and plans to merge it with another subsidiary the Canadian company already has in southwestern Pennsylvania.

U.S. drugmaker AbbVie has finally reached an agreement valued at around $55 billion to combine with Shire after its British counterpart rebuffed several takeover attempts.

Diamondback Energy will spend about $538 million to acquire drilling interests in Texas' Midland Basin.

The Italian lottery operator Gtech is buying slot machine maker International Game Technology for $4.7 billion in cash and stock.

3M will take full control of its Sumitomo subsidiary by acquiring the 25 percent of the company that it doesn't already own for $885 million.

Specialty chemicals company Albemarle is buying counterpart Rockwood Holdings Inc. in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $6.2 billion.

A growing number of U.S. companies are looking to trim their tax bills by combining operations with foreign businesses in a trend that may eventually cost the federal government billions of dollars in revenue.

Drugmakers AbbVie and Shire are in detailed talks about a possible combination after AbbVie once again raised the deal price and gave Shire shareholders a bigger stake in the new company.