LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. power firm PPL Corp (PPL.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) has agreed to buy German utility E.ON AG’s (EONGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) UK power networks for 3.5 billion pounds ($5.7 billion) in cash, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

PPL, which beat its main rival, Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing, in the race for E.ON’s networks, would also assume 500 million pounds in debt, the person said.

LONDON/NEW YORK, March 1 (Reuters) – U.S. power firm PPL
Corp (PPL.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) has agreed to buy German utility E.ON AG’s
(EONGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) UK power networks for 3.5 billion pounds in cash, a
person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

PPL, which beat its main rival, Hong Kong billionaire Li
Ka-Shing, in the race for E.ON’s networks, would also assume
500 million pounds in debt, the person said.

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. power firm PPL Corp (PPL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) is close to buying German utility E.ON AG’s (EONGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) UK power networks, beating its main rival, Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing, a person familiar with the matter said.

The person added that a deal, which would leave PPL with about 7.5 million customers in Britain, could be announced this week. PPL beat Li, who was seeking to add the country’s second-biggest electricity distribution network to the largest, which he bought last year from EDF of France.

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. power firm PPL Corp (PPL.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is close to buying German utility E.ON AG’s (EONGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) UK power networks, beating off its main rival, Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing, a person familiar with the matter said.

The person added that a deal could be announced this week. Li was seeking to add Britain’s second-biggest electricity distribution network to the largest, which he bought last year from EDF of France.

LONDON (Reuters) – Valuing Glencore GLEN.UL is the biggest conundrum facing equity analysts as the Swiss commodity trader spends a second day explaining its business ahead of what could be London’s biggest IPO.

People familiar with the situation said leading mining analysts were again locked in briefings with senior officials from the company, which is simultaneously the world’s biggest commodity trader, a sizeable miner, and a big investor.

LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) – Leading mining analysts will
spend a second day in lengthy briefings with senior Glencore
[GLEN.UL] executives on Tuesday, seeking to understand a
partnership that is simultaneously the world’s biggest
commodity trader, a sizeable miner, and a big investor.

Top officials from the Swiss firm would spend another day
in London meeting with equity analysts, said people familiar
with the situation, who declined to be named. The briefings
come as Glencore ponders whether to press ahead with what could
become London’s biggest-ever initial public offering (IPO).

LONDON (Reuters) – Glencore GLEN.UL, the world’s largest commodities trader, is briefing analysts ahead of a possible flotation that could be one of the biggest listings ever seen in London, sources familiar with the situation said.

If it goes ahead, an initial public offering (IPO) of Glencore could value the company at as much as $60 billion, according to Liberum Capital estimates.

LONDON (Reuters) – Taconic Capital Advisors, the $7 billion (4 billion pounds)-plus New York hedge fund, has taken a significant stake in Rupert Murdoch’s buyout target, British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc (BSY.L: Quote, Profile, Research), regulatory filings this week show.

Murdoch’s News Corp (NWSA.O: Quote, Profile, Research) is seeking to buy the 61 percent of BSkyB it does not already own, and is waiting to hear from Britain’s government if it will be able to avoid a full, six-month competition inquiry. [ID:nLDE7040N6] Taconic has bought more than 20.7 million shares in BSkyB, giving it a stake of about 1.1814 percent, the latest filing, made on Thursday, shows. At Thursday’s closing price of 757.5 pence, the stake is worth about 156.86 million pounds ($254.3 million), according to Reuters calculations.

LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Taconic Capital Advisors, the $7
billion-plus New York hedge fund, has taken a significant stake
in Rupert Murdoch’s buyout target, British Sky Broadcasting
Group Plc (BSY.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), regulatory filings this week show.

Murdoch’s News Corp (NWSA.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is seeking to buy the 61
percent of BSkyB it does not already own, and is waiting to hear
from Britain’s government if it will be able to avoid a full,
six-month competition inquiry. [ID:nLDE7040N6]
Taconic has bought more than 20.7 million shares in BSkyB,
giving it a stake of about 1.1814 percent, the latest filing,
made on Thursday, shows. At Thursday’s closing price of 757.5
pence, the stake is worth about 156.86 million pounds ($254.3
million), according to Reuters calculations.

LONDON (Reuters) – About 20 bidders are readying offers for all or parts of Astra Tech, the dental and medical devices unit that AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) hopes could fetch $2 billion, people familiar with the matter said.

Astra Tech, which had revenues last year of $535 million, is the world’s third-biggest dental implant maker behind Switzerland’s Straumann Holding (STMN.S: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Nobel Biocare Holding (NOBN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz). It also sells medical devices, focusing chiefly on urology.