The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1000 GMT on Thursday:

** Australian hospital operator Healthscope Ltd said it had received a $3.1 billion buyout approach from a new but high-profile domestic private equity firm and its consortium partners just four years after listing.

** Welltower Inc, a healthcare-focused real estate investment trust, will acquire Quality Care Properties for about $1.95 billion in cash, the companies said late on Wednesday.

** South Korea’s LG Electronics and holding company LG Corp said they agreed to buy a combined 100 percent stake in Austrian car light maker ZKW Holding GmbH for 1.4 trillion won ($1.3 billion).

** South Korea’s Lotte Shopping said on Thursday that it has agreed to sell one of its six operators of hypermarket and supermarket stores in China to Wumei Holdings for about 248.5 billion won ($230.2 million).

** Mexico’s Coca-Cola Femsa, the world’s largest Coke bottler, said on Wednesday a subsidiary had reached a deal to acquire a Guatemala-based Coke bottler and distributor for $124.6 million.

** British bookshop chain Waterstones is to be acquired by Elliott Advisers, the U.S. activist hedge fund which has made its presence felt in the UK’s corporate world recently by helping force the demerger of Costa Coffee amongst other shake ups. (Compiled by Akankshita Mukhopadhyay in Bengaluru)