Shares of the French food group Danone rose on Monday after the New York Post newspaper on the weekend reported that the company could become an object of takeover.
At the moment of writing, Danone share price rose 1.5%.
The New York Post quoted a source in the stock market saying that "someone will buy Danone" and that "Danone can be bought by Kraft or Coke and the French authorities will approve it."
The representative of Danone, the world's largest producer of yogurts, owning brands Actimel and Activia, said that the company will not comment on the NYP message.
Benois de Bruassie, stock manager at the Paris-based Keren Finance, said that Danone is often referred to as a potential takeover target, given the consolidation in the sector, but noted that the NYP article lacks detail.
The authorities of France usually try to prevent the absorption of the largest companies of the country by foreign competitors.
In 2005, France rushed to the aid of Danone amid rumors that it was going to be bought by Pepsi.
Earlier this year, the French company acquired the US manufacturer of organic food WhiteWave for $ 12.5 billion.
Today, the French stock market finished Monday session with growth due to the strengthening of technology, utilities and industry sectors.
At the close of the Paris Stock Exchange, CAC 40 rose 1.20%, and SBF 120 index rose 1.21%.
The growth leaders among the components of the CAC 40 index were the shares of Unibail Rodamco SE (AS: UNBP), Bouygues SA (PA: BOUY), and Societe Generale (PA: SOGN).
The worst performers were the shares of Carrefour SA (PA: CARR), Total SA (PA: TOTF), and TechnipFMC PLC (PA: FTI).
On the Paris Stock Exchange, the number of securities that rose in price (429) exceeded the number of those closed in red (153), while quotations of 86 shares remained virtually unchanged.