Anite shares surge following merger talks

NEWS By close of play Friday, shares had risen 9.6 per cent to 165.5p. The firm has made a number of acquisitions recently and chatroom speculation indicates investors feel it is now itself ripe for a takeover. However, Anite remained tight-lipped as to who the potential partner might be, warning in a terse statement that talks remained at a "very preliminary stage". Anite has spent almost £20m in the last two with the purchases of telecoms consultancy Delta Partners and ICL's local government business, among others.