And the winner is…

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Tyson. Not Mike, silly! He’s busy doing movies with Bradley Cooper. I meant Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN) What? You weren’t at the edge of your seat for this one? Hillshire Brands (HSH), the company behind some of the most beloved brands like Jimmy Dean Sausages and Ball Park hot dogs has, according to the corporate rumor mill anyway, accepted Tyson’s very juicy offer of $63/share which adds up to a plump $7.7 billion. Also, sort of coming out a winner is Pilgrim’s Pride (PPC), maker of Vlasic Pickles, as the company stands to gain $163 million just because Hillshire bailed on the deal it (thought) it had with the company just a few weeks back. But if you’re wondering why Tyson was so eager to get its hands on Hillshire, look no further than deli. No not New Delhi. Just deli. Prepared foods bring in lots more money than raw foods do. Tyson wants to make a name (and a few bucks) in that market and the Tyson/Hillshire combo could help nicely by bringing in sales of around $40 billion. That’s a lot to chew on.

A slice of Cupertino Apple pie…

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Now that Apple’s stock has split seven to one (meaning for every share of Apple you own, you lucky investor, you get six more!) the price of the stock is almost affordable! Just from the earth-shattering excitement of Apple’s announcement back in April that it was planning a split  – the first in nine years –  the stock climbed 24% on that news alone. Big riveting things are happening in Cupertino. Apple is expanding its stock buy back program, increasing its dividend program and it would be remiss not to mention the momentum from that very hip $3 billion Beats deal. Now shares are hovering above $90 a share. And to think it was just Friday when a single share fetched almost $650.

Bargain hunter…

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You may not find him pushing a cart full of merchandise down the aisles of your local Family Dollar (FDO)  – though the visual fills me with convulsive laughter – but billionaire Carl Icahn is very interested in the bargain-friendly establishment. Actually he has over a 9% interest in the company, causing investors to wonder if (or just assume) a takeover is impending. The company did put a “poison pill” in place which is not as scary as it sounds. Unless you’re the company adopting one. A “poison pill” or as it is less glamorously known, an anti-takeover measure, was adopted by Family Dollar because it doesn’t care to be pushed into a deal with Dollar General (DG), as many suspect Icahn and his fellow billionaire cohorts plan to do. Expect more bargain-unfriendly drama to unfold.