Bumble (NASDAQ: BMBL) shares surged about 50% on Monday after the Wall Street Journal reported that the dating-app operator is in advanced talks to be taken private. The paper said the deal would value the company at around $1bn.

The stock closed at $3.80 on Monday, up 49.6% from Friday’s $2.54. It rose as much as 57% to $3.98 during the session. Daily closes from July to 9 October ranged from $2.50 on 7 October to $3.28 on 2 July, so Monday’s close sits above anything in that window.

The reported buyer is Ithaca Holdings, a recently formed company. According to the WSJ, a deal could be announced as soon as this week, and a takeover of Bumble would be one of Ithaca’s first major transactions. A Bumble spokesperson did not…