Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Thursday October 9, 2014

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Thursday October 9, 2014:

Yelp Spikes Higher on Renewed Takeover ChatterThe Rumor

Shares of Yelp

YELP

spiked higher Thursday on renewed market chatter of a potential takeover offer. This time, the rumored buyer was Google

GOOGL

. Yelp has been the subject of frequent takeover chatter. Spokespersons for Yelp and Google were not available for comment. Yelp closed Thursday at $69.62, a loss of $0.53.

Kindred to Acquire Gentiva for $14.50/Share in Cash, $5.00/Share in Kindred StockThe Deal

Kindred Healthcare, Inc.

KND

and Gentiva Health Services, Inc.

GTIV

announced Thursday, that Kindred will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Gentiva common stock for $19.50 per share in a combination of cash and stock. Gentiva shareholders will receive $14.50 per share in cash and $5.00 per share in Kindred common stock The deal is expected to close in Q1 2015. Gentiva Health closed Thursday at $19.49, a gain of more than 16%, while shares of Kindred Healthcare gained 5%, to close at $20.75.

Endo to Acquire Auxilium Pharmaceuticals for $33.25/ShareThe Deal

Endo International plc

ENDP

and Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

AUXL

announced Thursday that Endo will acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Auxilium for $33.25 per share, in a cash and stock transaction, in a deal valued at $2.6 billion. Auxilium shareholders may choose 100% equity, 100% cash, or an equal mix of $16.625 in cash and 0.244 Endo shares per Auxilium share. The deal is expected to close in H1 2015. Auxilium Pharmaceuticals shares rose 9% Thursday, to close at $32.44, while Endo shares lost 6%, to close at $66.78.

Elliott Management Reaffirms $21.00/Share Offer for RiverbedThe Offer

Elliott Management Corporation commented Thursday, on Riverbed Technology, Inc.'s

RVBD

announcement of preliminary earnings and strategic review process. Elliott said “We commend the Board for initiating a strategic review and believe that Riverbed is a great company with products customers value,” said Jesse Cohn, portfolio manager at Elliott Management. “We have made a $21 bid for the company, and our team and advisors look forward to completing our confirmatory diligence in an expedited fashion.” Riverbed Technology shares rose almost 3% Thursday to close at $18.59.