Dear Clients & Friends,
Below is a link to our April 2012 Market Update. As you will see, it provides our sense of M&A values, activity and trends for the dozen plus technology, information and healthcare sectors that we follow.
Click here for our Market Update
This month we saw multiple transactions announced with, again, the majority of transactions well under $200M. One of these involved our client, IMS Research, which was acquired by IHS, a leading global source of information and analytics. IMS Research is a leading independent supplier of market research and a consultancy to the global electronics industry, based in Wellingborough, UK. This reinforces our belief that strategics and financial sponsors are showing a willingness to pay reasonable values for complimentary firms that show scale, growth, and proprietary technology, but have little appetite for mega-deals.
A few of the notable deals:
- Vista Equity Partners Seems to be the Winner of the Misys Process with an Offer of £1.3 ($2.0Bn);
- LSE Agreed to Acquire Majority Stake in LCH.Clearnet for €813M ($1.1Bn);
- SS&C Announced Improved Offer to Acquire GlobeOp for £448M ($717M);
- NetCracker Technology Corporation, Subsidiary of NEC Corp., Agreed To Acquire Information Management Business From Convergys Corporation for $499M;
- Verisk Analytics Inc. (Nasdaq:VRSK) Agreed to Acquire MediConnect Global Inc. for $349M;
- Nuance Communications (Nasdaq:NUAN) Agreed to Acquire Transcend Services (Nasdaq:TRCR) for $300M;
- Monitise (LSE: MONI.L) Agreed to Acquire Clairmail for £110M ($173M); and
- Green Dot (NYSE:GDOT) Agreed to Acquire Loopt for $43M.
As you will see in the report, a few of the deals showed companies capitalizing on growth in the mobile sector. As examples: Green Dot acquired the mobile marketing technology provider Loopt and Monitise agreed to acquire Clairmail, which focuses on mobile banking and payments.
We hope you will find this month’s newsletter useful. We are always available to answer questions.
Please note that our Hong Kong Office has relocated. Its new address is 45/F, The Lee Gardens, 33 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.