Yet another stock market record could be in store for investors today, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI -0.98%) has gained 13 points in pre-market trading. European stocks followed Wall Street up overnight, hitting a fresh six-year high: Europe's Stoxx index had risen 0.2% as of 7:30 a.m EDT. Asian markets advanced as well, led by a 2% jump in Japan's Nikkei.
Meanwhile, merger and acquisition news is breaking this morning on two stocks that could see heavy trading in today's session: Keurig Green Mountain (GMCR.DL) and DIRECTV (DTV.DL).
Coca-Cola (KO 0.31%) has taken another big gulp out of Green Mountain. The beverage giant boosted its ownership stake in the Keurig maker from 10% to 16%, according to a filing with the SEC this morning. Altogether, Coke now owns nearly 20 million shares of Green Mountain, up from the 16 million that changed hands when the two companies first announced their partnership in early February. Green Mountain said at the time that this was just the beginning of a long-term friendship, and today's filing proves that. The company's investors must like having a powerful ally like Coke -- especially one with $16 billion in cash on its books at last count. Green Mountain's stock has rallied by nearly 50% since February, and was up a further 5.4% in pre-market trading.
DIRECTV stock was up 3% in pre-market trading after both The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported that AT&T (T -1.37%) was in advanced talks to buy the satellite TV provider for $50 billion. Both articles quoted "people familiar with the matter," who said the offer price under discussion is in the mid to low $90s per share, or a slight premium over yesterday's closing price of $87. However, DIRECTV shareholders are still getting a good deal as that price would be more than 15% above the level the stock was trading at when rumors of the talks first leaked two weeks ago. A combined company would serve 26 million subscribers and put AT&T on roughly even footing with Comcast after its proposed merger with Time Warner Cable closes.
