BT is in strong position for mobile M&A 24 Nov 2014 The fixed-line telco has shaken up UK communications by pushing into TV and now mobile. The reward is that BT has a choice of two mobile networks to buy, O2 or EE, and few likely counter-bidders. A 10 bln stg deal would help lift sales and protect BT’s broadband business.
Aviva pays high price for Friends leak 24 Nov 2014 A fall in the UK insurer’s shares has cut the value of its possible paper offer for domestic peer Friends Life. The premium is now well below the 15 pct first mooted. Forced early disclosure means Aviva has to set out the key strategic and financial details of a tie-up – fast.
Telefonica grappling with strategic puzzle in UK 24 Nov 2014 The Spanish telco’s British mobile unit O2 is doing fine, but it will struggle to compete if customers turn to bundled offers. Buying a fixed-line player like TalkTalk would be a stretch. Best would be an outright cash sale to incumbent BT – but a stake swap is more realistic.
Indian bank M&A looks hard to copy 24 Nov 2014 Kotak Mahindra’s $2.4 billion all-share offer for ING Vysya is a rare example of consolidation amongst India’s sizeable private banks. Founder Uday Kotak needs to reduce his stake. Dutch group ING’s willingness to accept a smaller shareholding in a larger group is also key.
Aviva’s Friends tie-up is far from done 21 Nov 2014 The UK insurer wants to buy its peer for 5.6 bln stg in shares, bulking up in its challenged home market. For a 15 pct premium, Friends would get a surer future. Aviva gets some cash flow. Yet Friends’ entrepreneurial backers add complexity - and it may attract an interloper.
Endesa’s 3 bln euro quasi-IPO bucks a tough market 21 Nov 2014 The second half of 2014 has been rocky for share sales, particularly in Spain. A secondary offering of 22 pct of Spanish utility Endesa succeeded because vendor Enel wasn’t greedy. It treated the deal like a new issue. That will help if Enel wants to sell more in future.
BBVA’s timing in Turkey looks odd 20 Nov 2014 The Spanish bank is raising 2 bln euros to buy an extra 14.9 percent stake in Garanti. BBVA gets a larger share of growing earnings and board control. But it could have achieved the latter by 2016 – at a much lower cost. And Turkey’s attractions come with obvious risks.
Pharma market failure gets a charitable cure 19 Nov 2014 The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation helped fund a successful treatment for the deadly lung disease, stepping up when private investors wouldn’t. Its reward: $3.3 bln for rights to the new medication. So-called venture philanthropy could be the model for kick-starting drug development.
Deutsche trading exit as much about bank as market 18 Nov 2014 The German giant is quitting parts of a once-lucrative product it used to dominate – credit default swaps. Regulatory changes are in part to blame. CDS can still be useful tools. But weaker balance sheets than U.S. peers’ make it hard for Deutsche and European banks to trade.
Valeant’s activist deal too clever by half 17 Nov 2014 The $45 bln drug company’s tilt at Allergan alongside Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square leaves it with just a modest windfall to show for a seven-month campaign that risked legally questionable tactics. Valeant boss Michael Pearson’s M&A experiment is not one to repeat.
Bill Ackman comes out top in $66 bln pharma deal 17 Nov 2014 The activist will reap more than $2 bln from Actavis buying Allergan. It’s a steep price - cost cuts alone cannot justify the premium paid. And losing bidder Valeant has been hauled over the coals. It will, at least, get a $400 mln consolation prize from former ally Ackman.
Baker Hughes wins tactical $35 bln battle 17 Nov 2014 Playing hard-to-get squeezed a premium north of 50 pct out of Halliburton. The larger U.S. oil services group’s target of $2 bln in annual cost savings just about justifies the price it is paying. But integration challenges and competitive concerns make that look aggressive.
Halliburton raid puts shareholder rights to test 17 Nov 2014 With staggered boards increasingly rare, America has a freer market for corporate control than ever before. Halliburton’s hostile swoop on $26-bln oilfield rival Baker Hughes is a good test case. It’ll be up to investors to defend the value of their company in a proxy fight.
Halliburton can stump up $30 bln for Baker Hughes 14 Nov 2014 That’s if the $46 bln U.S. oil services giant finds cost cuts worth 5 pct of its rival’s sales, in line with past deals in the sector. Banding together makes sense in an industry downturn. And Halliburton could offset the risk of paying a potential 40 pct premium by using shares.
Buffett’s $4.7 bln Duracell deal a double positive 13 Nov 2014 Berkshire Hathaway is trading its Procter & Gamble stake for the consumer stalwart’s battery unit. Swapping a reliable staple for a declining business looks odd. But it’s tax-efficient and P&G’s injecting $1.8 bln of cash. Even with that, the seller’s getting a decent price.
Law firm M&A needs its own conflict resolution 12 Nov 2014 Patton Boggs’ merger with Squire Sanders arguably put the combined U.S. firm on both sides of a lawsuit. It’s possible the snafu will lead to disqualification from the case. Like Goldman and other Wall Street dealmakers, lawyers can be sloppy about policing skewed loyalties.
U.S. bank deal signals next phase of sector M&A 12 Nov 2014 The $187 bln BB&T is paying $2.5 bln for minnow Susquehanna. It’s not cheap, but big cost cuts cover the nearly 40 pct premium. And it looks an efficient alternative to buying back shares. With banks under earnings and regulatory pressure, such tie-ups are set to proliferate.
BNP Paribas could make an MPS merger work 11 Nov 2014 After a tough year, doubling up in Italy to buy ailing Monte dei Paschi would be a bold move for France’s biggest bank. But synergies could exceed 3 bln euros, while political obstacles and asset quality fears have eased. If BNP was tempted, it could drive a hard bargain.
Lisbon telco fight has wider implications 10 Nov 2014 Angolan tycoon Isabel dos Santos is bidding $1.5 bln for the Lisbon unit that owns 26 pct of Brazil’s Oi. The bid is highly conditional and looks like a long shot. But even if it fails, dos Santos may benefit from disrupting planned deal-making in both Portugal and Brazil.
Qatari bid highlights Canary Wharf’s potential 7 Nov 2014 Songbird, the majority owner of Canary Wharf Group, has rebuffed a 2.2 bln stg approach from the emirate’s sovereign fund. Eventual success or failure hinges on a few big shareholders. Either way, the interest reflects the east London financial district’s bright prospects.