Fresh Deals on the Table

Swiss life sciences powerhouse Lonza Group is putting its capsules and health ingredients division on the auction block, and the bidding has attracted some serious private equity firepower. The shortlist includes Altaris, Lone Star Funds, and One Rock Capital. The expected price tag? At least €2.5 billion, or about $2.8 billion if you're counting in dollars. Think of it as a high-stakes supplement aisle showdown, except the vitamins cost more than the GDP of several small nations.

In other news, Unilever (UL) is reportedly considering an auction for some of its iconic British brands, including Marmite and Colman's. Because nothing says "strategic portfolio optimization" quite like offloading polarizing sandwich spreads.

Deal Updates You Need to Know

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is making a massive play in cancer diagnostics, announcing plans to acquire Exact Sciences (EXAS) for a jaw-dropping $21 billion in cash. That works out to $105 per share—a 22% premium over recent trading levels. The star of this acquisition? Cologuard, the at-home colorectal cancer screening test that's been used over 20 million times since its 2014 launch. Abbott isn't just buying a product here; it's buying entry into the rapidly expanding oncology diagnostics market, along with Exact's formidable primary care sales team and a deep pipeline of future products.

Global asset manager TPG is dropping $1 billion on Tata Consultancy in India, with a laser focus on AI-powered data centers. This sector is absolutely devouring private equity capital right now, particularly in the United States. To put it in perspective, Andrew Ross Sorkin recently told the New Yorker that if you stripped out all the spending on data centers, "the United States would have a growth rate of about 0.1%." So yeah, data centers are kind of a big deal.

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) received three competing bids on Thursday, and according to Axios, the board doesn't have an obvious favorite. Paramount Skydance (PSKY) brings a regulatory edge to the table—President Trump and the Ellison family are apparently quite friendly. Netflix (NFLX) only wants Warner Bros.' treasure trove of streaming assets, including properties like "Superman" and "Harry Potter." Then there's Comcast (CMCSA), whose bid faces headwinds because Trump reportedly isn't a fan of CEO Brian Roberts. Nothing like a little presidential preference to spice up merger negotiations.

Bankruptcy Watch

M&M Custard LLC, a major franchise operator for Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company runs over 30 locations spread across six states and cited rising food and labor costs as the culprits behind its financial troubles. Despite holding $5.52 million in assets against $27.7 million in liabilities, M&M Custard insists it has no plans to shutter any additional stores. The filing comes after some locations in the Chicago market already closed, but 31 franchise locations remain operational, and the company is determined to keep the rest open.

Things are looking considerably worse for New Fortress Energy Inc. (NFE), whose shares cratered 13% after the company warned it might seek bankruptcy protection if its current efforts to negotiate an out-of-court restructuring fail. The New York-based liquefied natural gas supplier, which serves Caribbean and Latin American markets, is drowning in debt obligations while revenue dwindles. The company is also exploring the possibility of restructuring through a UK court process if its liquidity problems persist. Over the past year, New Fortress Energy's stock has plummeted 84%, erasing more than $3.5 billion in equity value. When you're contemplating bankruptcy jurisdictions, you know things have gotten complicated.