Groupon Inc. closed sharply lower after Evercore Partners rejected speculation the company is a takeover candidate. On Friday, Bloomberg News called Google a potential buyer of the struggling daily deals company; the stock rose 23 percent. “We find no basis for these claims,” said analyst Ken Sena, The Wall Street Journal reported. He has a $3 price ­target and an “underweight” rating on Groupon. The daily deals business, he noted, continues to deteriorate.