If you’re strategic acquirer, 2015 will be a good year for you. In 2014 we started to see companies, especially strategic acquirers be more aggressive about M&A. This likely will continue and even accelerate in 2015, especially since many still have a record amount of cash on their balance sheets. While we’ve had a pretty …
Category: M&A in the News
Why Shire Will Pay a Premium for NPS Pharmaceuticals
Shire is buying NPS Pharmaceuticals for $5.2 billion in the first major deal of 2015. You may recall Shire received a lot of press last year for its planned inversion with AbbVie. U.S.-based Abbvie planned to acquire Shire primarily for tax reasons, however the deal fell apart and as a result Shire received a breakup …
2014 Record Breaking Year for M&A
Last year was a record-breaking one for M&A. Global deal-making reached a 7-year high with 40,298 transactions amounting to $3.5 trillion. With cheap debt financing readily available and stock prices rising, more companies pursued M&A in 2014. The improving U.S. economy greatly contributed to robust activity; at $1.53 trillion, the U.S. accounted for 44% of …
Tuna Producer Casts a Wider Net With Acquisition
Chicken of the Sea owner, Thai Union, leverages economies of scale in Bumble Bee transaction. Thai Union Frozen Products, announced that it would acquire Bumble Bee, the second-largest tuna company in the U.S., for $1. 5 billion. Although Thai Union is the number one global producer of canned tuna, this acquisition will help boost Thai …
Buyers to Focus on Strategic M&A in 2015 [Infographic]
Next year will be a strong one for strategic acquirers. A KPMG survey reports 82% of executives expect to execute at least one acquisition in 2015, up from 63% in 2014. This is consistent with what Capstone has been seeing in the marketplace. Our survey of midmarket executives earlier in 2014 revealed that, 60% of …
Why Did Buffett Buy Duracell? Finding Growth in Mature Markets
At first glance you may ask, “Why in the world would Warren Buffett buy Duracell?” One explanation is financial. Through a bit of fiscal engineering Berkshire Hathaway is able to avoid triggering significant taxes. The Duracell transaction, is essentially a merger through a stock swap. Berkshire will give P&G $4.7 billion of the shares it …
What Do Credit Unions Need to Know About Mergers and Acquisitions?
Many credit union leaders are taking a closer look at strategic M&A as a way to accelerate company growth. Capstone Managing Director John Dearing spoke to a packed room of credit union CEOs and board members at the “Reaching Your Members in the 21st Century” Conference hosted by CU Conferences in Las Vegas on November …
Survey Shows Steady Growth in Midmarket Mergers & Acquisitions
Capstone’s State of Midmarket M&A Q1-Q3 2014 Update indicates a steady growth in midmarket mergers and acquisitions. We surveyed midmarket executives from multiple industries to learn how the first nine months of 2014 matched expectations from 2013, and to indicate any new trends in midmarket M&A. The survey was conducted in October 2014, and follows a …
Are You Playing It Safe?
For the last couple of years, corporate America seems to have been playing it safe when it comes to growth. Currently U.S. corporations are holding on to a record $1.65 trillion in cash. Are you in a similar position, perhaps? Cash may not be your “security” blanket but you may be unwilling to take the risks …
Will German Companies Keep Buying?
We’ve seen a number of large German acquisitions announced this year such as Siemens’ $7.6 billion purchase of Dresser-Rand and Merck of Germany’s $17 billion acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich. Expect to see more of this trend from growth-starved, cash-rich German companies. By acquiring Dresser-Rand, Siemens can expand in the US and strengthen their presence in oil …
