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 …
Category: M&A and External Growth
5 Tips for Meeting with Owners about Acquisitions
“I felt so vulnerable. I didn’t know what to do or what to talk about,” Dan told me. As the CEO of a food manufacturer who was pursuing acquisitions, he had a first meeting with an owner of a packaging facility before he engaged Capstone. When we met he expressed feelings of uncertainty and how …
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 …
After the Deal: CEOs Discuss M&A’s Impact on Growth
On our blog we often talk about the strategic rationale of acquisitions and the mechanics of planning and executing M&A. But after an acquisition is completed, how does M&A affect your company and what is it like to run a newly merged entity? As a third party M&A consultant I have learned best practices from …
Approaching an Owner for a Possible Acquisition? Don’t Write, Call.
How do you begin your courtship of a not-for-sale company? Sending a letter is fairly common practice for contacting owners, but it’s not the most effective way to communicate. A letter will not attract the owner’s attention and likely will go into the trash without being read. There’s a better way to stand out from the …
What Drives Successful Growth through M&A? One Word: Leadership
Research indicates that up to 70% of mergers and acquisitions fail to meet stated objectives, and of those 50% will destroy shareholder value. Those are daunting statistics. Yet acquisitions remain a top means for growth in companies in the U.S. and around the world. So a key question for any organization looking at M&A as …
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 …
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 …
If 70% of Acquisitions Fail, Why Even Try?
With a 70% failure rate for acquisitions, it seems like the odds are against you from the beginning. Before you get scared off, however, let’s take a closer look at what that 70% means. The 70% failure rate is mainly based on large, publicly traded transactions because large transactions must be reported to the SEC, …
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 …
