Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Friday Friday February 1, 2013

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Friday February 1, 2013: Splunk, NetApp May be Acquisition Targets for IBM The Report:
Splunk SPLK and NetApp NTAP are potential takeover targets, according to a report from Bloomberg. Spokespersons for IBM and Splunk declined comment on the Bloomberg report. A spokesperson for NetApp was not available for comment. Splunk closed at $33.90 Friday, a gain of almost 3% on 1.5 times average volume. NetApp closed at $36.25 Friday, a gain of $0.25 on lower than average volume. Analyst Note Discusses Possible Netflx Interest in AMC Networks The Rumor:
A note from Albert Fried says AMC Networks AMCX could be a takeover target of Netflix NFLX. Fried says the bid could be $80 per share. An AMC spokesperson declined comment on the note. A Netflix spokesperson was not available. AMC Networks closed at $58.55 Friday, a gain of almost 3% on 1.5 times average volume. Hearing Unconfirmed Takeover Chatter in Universal Display The Rumor:
Shares Universal Display PANL spiked higher midday on Friday, on takeover chatter from an unconfirmed source. A spokesperson for Universal Display was not available for comment. Universal Display closed at $30.67 Friday, a gain of 10% on twice average volume. Report Clearwire had Discussions with AT&T, MetroPCS, T-Mobile and China Mobile on Possible Deals The Filing:
Clearwire CLWR reported in a filing Friday, that it had discussions on possible deals with eight companies over the past two years, in addition to the most recent offers from Sprint S and DISH DISH, Clearwire reportedly had discussions with AT&T T, MetroPCS PCS, Deutsche Telecom's T-Mobile DTEGY and China Mobile CHL, according to Bloomberg. Sprint agreed on December 17, 2012, to buy the remainder of Clearwire it did not already own for $2.97 per share. Dish countered that with an offer of $3.30 per share on Janaury 8, 2013. Clearwire closed at $3.19 Friday, a gain of $0.01 on lower than average volume. Hearing Renewed Takeover Chatter in Life Technologies The Rumor:
Life Technologies LIFE may have several potential buyers, including Thermo Fisher TMO, GE GE and Danaher DHR, according to Deal Reporter. Life Technologies announced on January 18, it had retained Deutsche Bank and Moelis & Company to assist in its annual strategic review. Macquarie said on Janaury 30, they think Thermo Fisher will buy LIFE for $80 per share. Life Technologies closed at $65.24 Friday, a gain of $0.55 on average volume.