Last week the Wall Street Journal hosted the Middle Market Network to discuss issues relevant to middle market firms in the US. The good news is that middle market companies are getting healthier. With an increase in M&A activity and a boom in the construction industry, middle market businesses are growing and CEO confidence is …
Tag: Middle market mergers & acquisitions
Mixed Reports on Middle Market Growth
Middle market deal activity reached its lowest level since 2009, according to Mergers & Acquisitions. This may be a result of concerns about the upcoming U.S. presidential election and because banks are shying away from lending to private equity-backed deals. While middle market M&A activity is down, when compared to 2015 levels, the middle market …
4 Reasons Why Focusing on Small Acquisitions is Best
In light of recent FTC rulings against market domination, Sysco has changed its M&A strategy to focus on smaller, strategic deals rather than large transformative deals. Although Sysco’s change is motivated by regulatory obstacles to larger acquisitions, using strategic, smaller deals is an excellent approach from a strategic perspective. We have long recommended that our …
Middle Market Companies Holding Onto Cash
Instead of investing in growth, companies this year have been holding more than $1.4 trillion in cash – close to a record $1.65 trillion in 2014. Oracle’s $56 billion cash stockpile is 1.5 times its sales and Cisco’s $60 billion in cash is 1.2 times its sales. Eleven companies have cash reserves double their annual …
Aggressive Lending, Bigger Deals… M&A is Back on the Move
There’s no denying it that M&A is on fire. Look at any financial newspaper headlines and you’ll see announced deals or merger talks. And keep in mind for all the major transactions involving publicly held companies there are many smaller, privately held transactions occurring unannounced. We can better understand this current wave of activity and …
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, …
Mergers and Acquisitions Reach a 7-Year High
Mergers have hit a seven year high. While deal value is up 73 percent, the number of deals has decreased 0.4 percent, according to Reuters data. This confirms what we’ve been seeing since last year: larger, fewer transactions. With mega deals on the rise, we will likely see more activity in the middle market as …
Midmarket Deal Flow Expands
Midmarket deal flow expanded at the fastest rate in six months, according to a study conducted by Mergers & Acquisitions in April. The survey has positive implications for midmarket growth. As I’ve mentioned previously on my blog, midmarket companies have faced increased competition from larger players and small mom and pops. Faced with this “squeeze,” it’s …
