A cheeky website about deals, dealmakers and anything else I find interesting. Edited by Ben Harrington. If you have a tip or want to discuss a story please feel free to email Betaville at ben@betaville.co.uk. Betaville can also be reached at Whats App, Signal or Telegram. Betaville's Twitter handle is @bharringtonw11 and you can message me via Twitter with stories.
Does anybody else think yesterday's business splash in the The Sunday Telegraph about the Public Investment Fund accumulating a sizeable shareholding in BT Group is connected to the FT's scoop last month about Macquarie holding talks with the FTSE 100-listed telecoms giant about buying a stake in Openreach?..
Investors that have taken a punt on Tiziana Life Sciences in recent weeks were nicely rewarded today after the shares closed up almost 27pc.
In part, the shares surged because the company - which is working on treatments for a variety of diseases, including Covid 19 - was awarded a key patent.
Below is the link to today's announcement in case you missed it:..
It's not even a year since Advent International bought defence and aerospace group Cobham as part of controversial £4 billion take private deal.
But well-placed sources tell Betaville the private equity firm is already making moves that I suspect that might eventually upset Lady Cobham, Daily Mail readers and, possibly, the government...
Roll up, roll up: one of Betaville's favourite young hacks is starting an intriguing new project that is worth paying attention to.
Yes, William Turvill - formerly of the Mail on Sunday's business section and Press Gazette - has teamed up with some chums to create series of Zoom interviews with top entrepreneurs, chief executives and financiers...
It would appear former colleagues at The Sunday Times got wind of the Clinigen takeover tale, too.
Yesterday, the business section of the The Sunday Times ran a rather similar tale to Betaville's UNCOOKED Alert from a ten days ago. Below is the link:..
Perhaps the bears were onto something with Immuron, the Australian and Nasdaq-listed biopharmaceutical company developing a treatment for diarrhoea.
Yesterday, the US-listed stock collapsed 30pc to close $6.90.
And Immuron's American shares are down another 5pc or so in the pre-market.....
First Immuron; now Jiayin Group.
The US-listed Chinese digital marketplace is in focus after it leapt over 800pc during intraday trading yesterday, rising from $2.9 to an intrday high of $29.
The stock eventually closed at $5.8.
And today the company just announced its first quarter figures (the the link below):..
The equity fundraisings (see Ocado) continue unabated, so Betaville is putting Greggs on the "cash calls - who is next?" list as scribblers at HSBC were suggesting the baker would likely come to the market and ask shareholders for fresh funds in the coming weeks.
So, below is the updated list:
1. International Consolidated Airlines Group
2. InterContinental Hotels Group
3. Mitchells & Butlers
4. Kingfisher
5. Provident Financial..
Advent International is the mystery buyer stalking Clinigen but it's not clear whether it is still in "live" takeover talks with the Aim-listed medical supplies company.
Several people following the situation said Advent - which has carried out several investments in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries - has been working Goldman Sachs and HSBC on a multi-million debt package for a possible takeover of Clinigen...
It's not often a stock jumps a 1000pc in day. But yesterday Immuron, an Australian biopharmaceutical company that trades on Nasdaq, did exactly that on hopes it may develop a new treatment for diarrhoea.
Yes folks you read that correctly - diarrhoea...
Betaville is placing Rolls-Royce (no pun intended) on the ""cash calls - who is next?" list.
Now, readers might be asking why given the lockdowns are ending and stockmarkets are recovering.
Well, some very large and influential institutional investors suggested to little old Betaville an equity capital raising at Rolls-Royce is likely in the next few months...
So...there was no statement from AstraZeneca this morning regarding Gilead.
And both the The Times and The Daily Telegraph appear to be poring cold water on the prospect of $200 billion plus merger, which was unveiled yesterday by Bloomberg. Below is the link to The Times report:..
There is a big story breaking on Bloomberg right now about AstraZeneca trying to buy Gilead to create a $200 billion pharmaceutical giant. Below is the link:..
Seafox International has been accumulating more stock in Gulf Marine Services, the Abu Dhabi-based oilfield services company that it tried to buy last month.
People following the situation said Seafox, which runs "jack-up" units for oil and gas explorers, now owns around 29pc of Gulf Marine after disclosing earlier this week that it had lifted its shareholding to 26.41pc.
The move comes after Seafox offered 10p a share for Gulf Marine Services...
Speculation is mounting a mystery suitor is set to launch a tender offer for some or all of Urban Exposure, the Aim-listed property finance company.
People following the situation said an unknown acquirer is weighing launching a tender offer at between 55p and 65p a share.
Urban Exposure has been carrying out a strategic review after receiving several proposals for its loan book, including one from the Wellesley Group, an investment company run by the Earl of Cowley...
Clinigen, an Aim-listed medical supplies company, has come under the spotlight amid takeover talk.
People following the situation said a potential acquirer is eyeing the company, which supplies drugs for clinical trials and also distributes unlicensed pharmaceuticals to pharmacists.
One person following the situation suggested purchaser could be a private equity firm...
It's that time of the week when Betaville writes about Tiziana Life Sciences, the Aim-listed biopharmceutical developer.
Well, readers might recall that last Friday I suggested there are all sorts of things brewing at Tiziana Life Sciences.
And I understand some fresh data could emerge in the next week that could be transformational for the business, making Tiziana Life Sciences of interest to the pharmaceutical giants...
[Disclaimer - the information on Betaville does not consitute any form of investment recommendation and is not intended to be relied upon by readers in making, or refraining from, any investment decisions].