Due to the holidays, our next issue will be published Monday, Jan. 5, 2015.
QUOTED
EDITOR'S CORNER
For four years, M&A defied all predictions and the laws of finance.
Cash-rich corporate balance sheets, slow growth and cheap debt
didn't spur a wave of strategic mergers until 2014.
The private equity business should be getting a lift from similar
irresistible forces the same cheap debt plus billions in capital
itching to be invested. Yet buyout volume is up only 20 percent this
year over last, or half the gain in overall M&A.
Still, there are signs that things may be picking up. The $8.6 billion
buyout of the retailer PetSmart Inc. last week was the largest private
equity deal of the year, and the fifth take-private of a U.S. company
worth more than $2 billion since the end of the summer (see table
below). Last week also brought a $3.4 billion take-private of Riverbed Technology Inc.
This is no replay of 2006-07, however, because the biggest U.S. private equity shops
are conspicuously absent from the list below, with one exception (Bain Capital). Instead
the deals have been led by non U.S. buyout shops (the U.K.'s BC Partners, Sweden's
EQT Partners and Canada's Onex Corp.) or firms with sector expertise (technology in
the case of Vista Equity Partners LLC and Thoma Bravo LLC and energy in the case
of EnerVest Ltd. and FourPoint Energy).
In other cases, insurers, infrastructure funds and non-U.S. public pension plans with
long investment horizons are participating. Note that Canadian buyers played key roles
in four of the top six deals since September provincial pension funds from Quebec,
Ontario and British Columbia plus Onex.
It suggests that the current market caters to buyers whose investment needs differ
from most private equity firms' and to buyers with a unique ability to add value.
TARGET
COUNTRY
ACQUIRER
VALUE ($M)
WEEK IN NUMBERS
42 percent: Proportion of last week's
deal volume accounted for by the top
three deals.
18.3x: Ebitda multiple on the buyout of
Riverbed Technologies by Thoma
Bravo and Teachers' Private Capital.
$230 million: Profit activist investor
Jana Partners will collect in the buyout of
PetSmart.
12/14
PetSmart Inc
US
8,623
IN THIS ISSUE
11/12
PT
7,805
10/20
Cleco
US
4,685
11/24
SIG Combibloc
CH
Onex Corp
4,443
9/29
Tibco Software
US
4,101
12/15
Riverbed Technology
US
3,373
11/6
DE
EQT Partners
2,666
9/2
Compuware
US
Thoma Bravo
2,113
11/3
NG
Private Investor
2,000
10/3
US
1,950
Bailouts of same sponsors' prior investments and deals led by strategic buyers are excluded.
Bloomberg Brief
Mergers
STORYCHART
PetSmart Is Latest in a Spate of Large LBOs as Rate Rise Threatens Future Deals
COMPILED BY DEIRDRE FRETZ AND
JOHN E. MORRIS, BLOOMBERG BRIEF
EDITORS
Bloomberg Brief
Mergers
INVESTING
BC Partners' $8.6 Billion Buyout of PetSmart Sets Two Records
BY ALEX SHERMAN, BROOKE
SUTHERLAND AND TARA LACHAPELLE
TARGET
ACQUIRER
ACQUIRER
COUNTRY
VALUE ($M)
UK, CA, SP
8,623
12/14/14
PetSmart Inc
5/11/07
UK
5,200
7/19/07
UK
2,192
5/29/00
Dayco Inc
UK
1,880
7/5/07
Samsonite LLC
UK
1,554
10/22/12
Ancestry.com Inc
UK
1,412
5/15/13
UK
1,400
4/11/08
TriZetto Corp
UK
1,187
6/17/03
Jostens Inc
CH
1,067
11/4/10
UK
980
4/13/11
UK
960
4/4/11
UK
936
5/23/13
rue21 inc
UK
934
4/4/11
UK
890
2/1/06
UK
765
8/18/05
FR
750
7/5/07
UK
630
6/26/06
UK
625
11/16/12
UK
570
7/22/09
Bankrate Inc
UK
535
Bloomberg Brief
Mergers
REAL M&A
A Guide to 2015 for Deal Watchers: Pfizer to MegaBrew
BY TARA LACHAPELLE AND BROOKE
SUTHERLAND
VODAFONE-LIBERTY Vodafone
Group Plc is under pressure to come up
with a countermove after BT Group Plc
ratcheted up the competition for bundled
mobile, wireline, TV and Internet services
in Europe this year by going after wireless
provider EE. John Malones Liberty
Global Plc may be Newbury,
England-based Vodafones best option for
a transformational deal. While a
transaction wouldnt be without hurdles,
the shift toward quad-play packages
makes a combination with London-based
Liberty a must rather than an option,
according to Ottavio Adorisio of Societe
Generale. Vodafone Chief Executive
Officer Vittorio Colao is considering it,
people familiar with the matter said this
month.
DANONE-MEAD JOHNSON
Speculation about this deal cooled when
Danone SA said it planned to keep its
medical-nutrition division, as proceeds
from selling that unit could have helped
fund a takeover of Mead Johnson
Nutrition Co. The merger still makes
sense, though. Buying Mead Johnson
would give Danone a greater presence in
baby food, a fast-growing industry in
which Danone is a distant second place
to Nestle SA. Shares of the Paris-based
company are trailing the broader U.S. and
European markets, while Glenview,
Illinois-based Mead Johnson trades near
a record. After a year in which
shareholders often rewarded companies
that made acquisitions, Danone could
face pressure to finally pursue a deal.
Representatives for Pfizer, AB InBev,
SABMiller, Vodafone, Liberty Global and
Mead Johnson declined to comment.
Representatives for North Chicago,
Illinois-based AbbVie and Danone didnt
respond to phone calls or e-mails seeking
comment.
Bloomberg Brief
Mergers
ACQUISITION FINANCE
Forest Oil Changes Deal Structure to Avoid Replacing Old Debt
BY CHRISTINE IDZELIS AND LAURA J.
KELLER
Since September the average cost of financing (yield to worst) for non-investment-grade energy
companies has converged toward that for CCC-rated companies, among the lowest-quality
borrowers, which would not have access to affordable funds in the current market.
Bloomberg Brief
Mergers
VERBATIM
Icahn Sees Risk in High-Yield, Says Activists Should Avoid 'Instant Gratification'
Carl Icahn
Bloomberg Brief
Mergers
WEEK IN REVIEW: M&A TRENDS COMPILED BY JOHN E. MORRIS, BLOOMBERG BRIEF EDITOR
Telecom, Oil and Gas, Retail Deals Push Up Weekly Total
Pace of Dealmaking
The three top deals this past week for EE Ltd., Talisman
Energy Inc. and PetSmart Inc. together were worth more
than $41 billion, or 42 percent of the global M&A volume for the
week, which was $97.4 billion. The total year to date through
Friday was $3.2 trillion.
Sector Breakdown
The EE deal, together with $2.9 billion takeover of
Switzerland's Orange Communications SA by NJJ Capital
SASU, helped swell the communications sector's share of last
week's volume. Deals for insurer Catlin Group Ltd. and two real
estate deals pushed up the share for financials.
Regional Breakdown
Most of this year's rebound in merger activity has centered on
North American targets, and last week was no exception. Four of
the largest deals were for U.S. targets, and the number two deal
was for Canada's Talisman Energy Inc.
Bloomberg Brief
Mergers
TARGET
INDUSTRY
COUNTRY
ACQUIRER
VALUE
($M)
12/15
EE Ltd
Telecommunications
GB
BT Group PLC
GB
19,553
12/16
CA
Repsol SA
ES
12,949
12/14
PetSmart Inc
Retail
US
UK et al
8,623
12/17
Insurance
BM
XL Group PLC
12/15
Computers
US
12/18
Orange Communications SA
Telecommunications
CH
12/15
12/19
REITS
12/18
Pantry Inc/The
12/18
IE
3,985
CA, US
3,373
FR
2,857
AU
2,750
US
US
1,735
Retail
US
CA
1,713
Food
US
TH
1,510
12/19
Real Estate
US
1,491
12/15
US
Regal-Beloit Corp
US
1,440
12/15
Food
US
SG
1,300
CN
1,259
NL
1,172
Various
1,100
AU, CA
SE, NO
12/19*
Club Mediterranee SA
Entertainment
FR
12/17
Volcano Corp
Healthcare-Products
US
Koninklijke Philips NV
12/17
Metal Fabricate/Hardware
US
12/18
Computer Services
US
AtoS
FR
1,050
12/16
Insurance
US
Progressive Corp/The
US
875
12/16
Financial Services
Various
700
12/18
Carrefour Brasil
Food
BR
677
12/15
Building Materials
US
648
12/18
FL Mobile
Software
US
HK
630
12/15
Eltek ASA
Telecommunications
NO
TW
601
12/18*
US
US
597
12/17
AU
US
571
HK, CN
BR
UK, US
COUNTRY
Bloomberg Brief
Mergers
BUYERS AND SELLERS WHAT COMPANIES ARE SAYING ABOUT ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES
GE Has 'Plenty on Its Plate' With $17 Billion Alstom Deal Pending, Immelt Says
COMPILED BY JOHN E. MORRIS
Jeffrey Immelt
DATE
COMPANY
RESOURCES
Dec. 18
Miner continues to seek acquisitions but is not seeing many attractive opportunities, CEO said in an
interview. He expects more activity in the sector generally in 2015, especially distressed sales. Click here
to open the story on your Bloomberg terminal.
FOOD
Dec. 18
Packaged food maker expects "limited acquisition activity in the near term as we pay down debt" from
Ralcorp purchase, CFO said on an earnings call. Click here to open on your Bloomberg terminal.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Dec. 18
Yield-oriented REIT that telecom plans to create via a spinoff will likely make acquisitions, CEO said on a
conference call. Click here to open on your Bloomberg terminal.
TRANSPORT
Dec. 18
Kirby Corp.
"Silver lining" in falling oil prices may be an increase in M&A opportunities, CEO of inland barge operator
said on a conference call. Click here to open on your Bloomberg terminal.
INDUSTRIAL
Dec. 17
Electrical equipment maker has returned to developing its M&A pipeline after reducing leverage from $1.7
billion Eecol purchase in 2012 and expects more acquisitions to be finalized in 2015 and beyond, CEO
and a CFO said on a conference call. Clickhereto open on your Bloomberg terminal.
Bloomberg Brief
Mergers
10
Bloomberg Brief
Mergers
11
MAJOR
MOVE?
DEAL ARBITRAGE
TARGET
ACQUIRER
PAYMENT
TYPE
SPREAD
PROJECTED
ANNUALIZED
RETURN
1W
CHANGE
IN
SPREAD
213.89
C&S
7.0%
12.0%
-0.4%
32.84
C&S
1.4%
4.3%
1.5%
DEAL
SIZE
(M)
EXPECTED
COMPLETION
DATE
OFFER
PER
SHARE
TARGET
PRICE
65,024
06/30/15
228.89
5,102
03/31/15
33.31
Actavis plc
Halliburton Co
37,531
12/31/15
66.26
57.00
C&S
16.2%
14.9%
-1.1%
CareFusion Corp
12,040
06/30/15
59.90
59.17
C&S
1.2%
2.1%
-0.3%
Cleco Corp
BC Investment Management
Corp. et al
4,685
12/31/15
55.37
53.73
Cash
3.1%
2.8%
-0.4%
SAP SE
7,241
12/04/14
129.00
128.81
Cash
0.1%
9.0%
-0.2%
Covance Inc
5,559
03/31/15
103.87
102.62
C&S
1.2%
3.6%
-0.6%
Covidien PLC
Medtronic Inc
45,870
06/30/15
105.81
101.00
C&S
4.8%
8.1%
-1.2%
DIRECTV
AT&T Inc
66,044
04/30/15
95.00
87.71
C&S
8.3%
19.8%
-0.3%
Siemens AG
7,241
09/30/15
83.00
128.81
Cash
0.1%
2.8%
-0.7%
9,129
12/31/14
40.00
34.84
Cash
14.8%
163.8%
0.0%
3,868
03/31/15
13.83
13.76
C&S
0.5%
1.5%
-0.5%
3,838
12/31/14
10.59
9.79
C/S
8.2%
90.3%
0.0%
7,469
09/30/15
83.00
81.11
Cash
2.3%
2.8%
2.0%
GTECH SpA
6,281
06/30/15
17.86
17.03
C&S
4.9%
8.4%
-1.8%
6,038
12/31/14
7.39
7.33
Stk
0.8%
9.6%
0.1%
Lorillard Inc
26,477
06/30/15
69.67
63.14
C&S
10.3%
17.7%
0.9%
Exelon Corp
12,136
09/30/15
27.25
27.50
Cash
-0.9%
-1.1%
-0.6%
5,531
06/30/15
70.00
69.71
Cash
0.4%
0.7%
0.0%
Sycamore Partners
4,065
25.00
20.67
Cash
20.9%
-1.3%
Albemarle Corp
6,005
03/31/15
79.01
77.95
C&S
1.4%
4.0%
-0.2%
Safeway Inc
Albertsons LLC
8,929
09/30/15
74.30
72.84
C&S
2.0%
2.4%
2.0%
Sapient Corp
Publicis Groupe SA
3,268
03/31/15
25.00
24.70
Cash
1.2%
3.6%
-0.1%
Sigma-Aldrich Corp
Merck KGaA
16,395
12/31/14
140.00
136.60
Cash
2.5%
27.5%
-0.6%
4,101
12/31/14
24.00
24.03
Cash
-0.1%
-1.4%
-1.1%
13,264
98.79
95.31
C&S
3.7%
1.5%
Comcast Corp
68,405
06/30/15
163.99
149.28
Stk
9.9%
16.8%
1.2%
ZF Friedrichshafen AG
12,857
06/30/15
105.60
103.40
Cash
2.1%
3.6%
-0.2%
Williams Partners LP
32,003
06/30/15
54.33
51.74
Stk
5.0%
8.5%
-0.5%
Bloomberg Brief
Mergers
12
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