Mergers & Acquisitions

SABMiller’s Budweiser fightback lacks punch

9 October 2015

The Peroni brewer’s promise to find $550 mln of new cost savings by 2020 is paltry in the context of the $100 bln approach from AB InBev. SAB might have more powerful defences in its locker. It had better, if it wants to stay independent from the Budweiser brewer.

Prognosis is bleak for Shire’s troubled Baxalta bid

9 October 2015

The rout in pharma stocks has made the Irish group’s all-share offer less attractive for its recently spun-off U.S. rival. Shire would have to add much more stock to offer Baxalta the $30 bln it initially touted. It should delay – even if it then misses its chance altogether.

SABMiller’s best defence: debt and deliverability

8 October 2015

The Peroni brewer has leverage in the face of AB InBev’s aggressive $100 bln bid approach. It could gear itself up instead of letting the suitor take the spoils. It is also hard to see how the bidder could deliver value from SAB’s various partnerships without the board on side.

Dell’s gnarly $50 bln EMC idea smells of peak M&A

8 October 2015

The PC maker may offer to buy the data-storage firm. Borrowing $40 bln or so wouldn’t be easy. Spinning off part of EMC’s 81 pct stake in its $35 bln subsidiary VMware would add complexity, too, and make it tough for the numbers to work for everyone. It could be a deal too far.

Only beer goggles make AB InBev deal look right

8 October 2015

Cost savings in previous brewery mergers suggest the Budweiser maker is far from covering the 37 pct premium in its $100 bln offer for SABMiller, based on Breakingviews calculations. Sales growth and disposals might help. Sweetening the bid, however, is a tall order. 

China web merger is latest sign of funding fatigue

8 October 2015

A mooted $15 bln tie-up between two discount shopping sites comes months after the country’s top taxi apps joined forces. Web giants like Alibaba and Tencent have poured billions into startups that connect local services to users. But subsidy wars are testing investors’ patience.

Li Ka-shing concession gives investors power boost

8 October 2015

The tycoon’s Cheung Kong Infrastructure unit has slightly sweetened its $12.4 bln offer for affiliate Power Assets. The move is designed to pre-empt a public showdown with minority shareholders. But it risks emboldening them to hold out for even more - and resist future deals.

Bud almost has the SAB keg tapped

7 October 2015

AB InBev’s $99 bln cash offer for SABMiller is robust. The alternative stock package is unusual, but looks cleverly designed to meet the tax needs of Altria and BevCo, SAB’s 41 percent shareholders. It also eases post-deal debt pressures. MegaBeer is almost here.

AirAsia buyout could fly with fancy

7 October 2015

Co-founder Tony Fernandes would need about $800 mln of additional financing to take the embattled budget carrier private. Though buyouts are rare in the cyclical industry, it could make sense for investors willing to bet on a Malaysian recovery and on oil prices staying low.

Scorched U.S. tech and pharma feel the M&A chill

6 October 2015

Two of the hottest sectors for deals this year have extended their run. Apple chip supplier Skyworks agreed to buy PMC-Sierra for $2 bln and AmerisourceBergen is purchasing PharMEDium for $2.6 bln. Investors in both acquirers jeered, building on a worrisome trend for mergers.

Suncor’s hostile oil sands bid is sign of divide

5 October 2015

The energy group is offering $3.3 bln in stock for JV partner Canadian Oil Sands. The 43 pct premium will be tempting for owners of the beleaguered bitumen miner, whose shares have tanked alongside oil prices. Sturdier players like Suncor are well placed for opportunistic deals.

Potash selloff shows flaws in K+S takeover defence

5 October 2015

Slumping demand for the fertiliser ingredient has prompted Canada’s Potash Corp to withdraw a 7.9 billion euro ($8.9 billion) offer for its German rival. For three months, K+S played hard to get even as prices fell. Shareholders may now regret its reluctance to negotiate.   

Darty may squeeze more from French suitor

1 October 2015

The electricals retailer is mulling a merger with French rival Fnac. Darty would get 45 pct of the merged group, ease its strained balance sheet and enjoy some cost savings. Even though 14 pct shareholder Knight Vinke supports the plan, there’s room for improvement on price.

Record-slow U.S. bank deal offers cautionary tale

30 September 2015

The Fed took three years to OK the $16 bln M&T’s takeover of smaller Hudson City, having demanded fixes to the buyer’s back office. CEO Bob Wilmers now looks like he’s paying over the odds for a struggling rival. Others in the industry with problems won’t find M&A a quick fix.

M&A running out of road on Easy Street

30 September 2015

Since July, only four out of 10 U.S. buyers’ stocks have risen after a deal announcement. That’s a big drop from 80 pct in early 2014. Blaming volatility misses the point. Investors just aren’t convinced by increasingly bold and messy deals. The end of a merger boom may be nigh.

Henry Blodget makes most of Wall Street ban

29 September 2015

Selling most of Business Insider to Axel Springer for $343 mln is another step in the disgraced former dot-com analyst’s rehab. Blodget’s media outlet has made money and created jobs – despite the distorted market for talent that Wall Street created and Silicon Valley is aping.

Business Insider picks deep German pockets

29 September 2015

Axel Springer is buying the business and tech news website at a $442 mln valuation. Nine times sales implies a long run of fast growth. It evokes Dresdner’s acquisition of Wasserstein Perella, a deal from the days when Business Insider boss Henry Blodget worked on Wall Street.

Japan Tobacco gives Reynolds breath of fresh air

29 September 2015

The buyer is paying $5 bln for the overseas rights to the U.S. cigarette group’s American Spirit brand - a whopping 250 times earnings. It’ll allow Reynolds to exhale a cloud of debt as it focuses on U.S. sales. Its strategy is a handy guide for similarly challenged sectors.

Li Ka-shing’s power deal is at risk of a jolt

29 September 2015

The tycoon’s Cheung Kong Infrastructure unit wants to buy cash-rich affiliate Power Assets for $11.6 bln in stock. Investors have the motive and the means to push for better terms. But they need to believe the rewards of a sweetened offer outweigh the risks of Li walking away.

Alcoa split is canny move – not least for its CEO

28 September 2015

The $12 bln aluminum producer is cleaving sluggish smelting from healthier aerospace. Based on rival valuations, Alcoa shareholders can expect a modest uplift. Boss Klaus Kleinfeld, however, gets a new gig atop a more promising business, one he has been building by acquisition.