Benzinga's Weekend M&A Chatter

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Friday October 17 through Sunday October 19, 2014:

:

A source familiar with the matter, has told

that China's Lenovo Group Limited

could make an offer to acquire Canadian mobile communications company, BlackBerry Limited

, as early as this week. The source said Lenovo's first offer would be $15.00 per share, with a deal ultimately getting done around $18.00 per share. A spokesperson for BlackBerry told

on Saturday, the company does not comment on rumors or speculation. A Lenovo spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. BlackBerry closed Friday at $9.49, a gain of 2%.

:

IBM

reported Sunday it will make a major business announcement, along with releasing its Q3 2014 earnings results on Monday, October 20 at 7:00 AM ET.

reported that IBM could announce the sale of its chip business, paying Globalfoundries $1.5 billion, while receiving $200 million worth of assets, according to sources. IBM closed Friday at $182.05, a gain of more than 1%.

:

Mead Johnson Nutrition Company shares soared Friday, before being halted on a circuit-breaker, on a report from

, that Danone's

sale of its medical nutrition unit was conditional on the acquisition of MJN, according. JP Morgan analysts said Mead Johnson could sell for as much as $120 per share. Danone board member Laurent Sacchi, said on Sunday the company has not made a decision on a takeover of Mead Johnson, according to

. Mead Johnson shares rose almost 10% Friday, to close at $100.23.

:

Shire plc

is reportedly considering several acquisitions, following the cancellation of its takeover by AbbVie

, according to

. Among the potential takeover targets for Shire are NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

and Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc.

, sources say. Shire gained $0.69 Friday, to close at $179.15. NPS Pharmaceuticals fell $0.26, closing at $26.16, while Cubist rose 3%, to close at $65.89.