Shares of stock exchange operator NYSE Euronext (NYX) surged higher in premarket trading Thursday, following overnight reports that futures exchange operator Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) was looking to acquire NYX.

Reports peg the asking price at around $33 per share, which represents a 37% upside to the stock’s Wednesday closing price of $24.05. Word hasn’t yet broken on how ICE would fund the approximately $8 billion deal.

The Wall Street Journal originally reported that talks were progressing quickly, while Reuters broke the approximate price of the acquisition.

UPDATE: (8:31am EST) The companies confirm the deal is worth $33.12 per share, for a total of $8.2 billion.

NYSE Euronext shares rose $5.15, or +21%, in premarket trading Thursday.

The Bottom Line
Shares of NYSE Euronext (NYX) have a 4.99% dividend yield, based on last night’s closing stock price of $24.05. If you are a long-time shareholder of the stock, the buyout is little reward for where the stock had been trading years back.

NYSE Euronext (NYX) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.