David Braun
Author's posts
Strategic Acquirers at an Advantage in Today’s Market
If you’re strategic acquirer, 2015 will be a good year for you. In 2014 we started to see companies, especially strategic acquirers be more aggressive about M&A. This likely will continue and even accelerate in 2015, especially since many still have a record amount of cash on their balance sheets. While we’ve had a pretty …
Why Shire Will Pay a Premium for NPS Pharmaceuticals
Shire is buying NPS Pharmaceuticals for $5.2 billion in the first major deal of 2015. You may recall Shire received a lot of press last year for its planned inversion with AbbVie. U.S.-based Abbvie planned to acquire Shire primarily for tax reasons, however the deal fell apart and as a result Shire received a breakup …
2014 Record Breaking Year for M&A
Last year was a record-breaking one for M&A. Global deal-making reached a 7-year high with 40,298 transactions amounting to $3.5 trillion. With cheap debt financing readily available and stock prices rising, more companies pursued M&A in 2014. The improving U.S. economy greatly contributed to robust activity; at $1.53 trillion, the U.S. accounted for 44% of …
5 Tips for Meeting with Owners about Acquisitions
“I felt so vulnerable. I didn’t know what to do or what to talk about,” Dan told me. As the CEO of a food manufacturer who was pursuing acquisitions, he had a first meeting with an owner of a packaging facility before he engaged Capstone. When we met he expressed feelings of uncertainty and how …
Happy Holidays from the Capstone Team!
As we close out 2014, I’d like to wish you happy holidays from myself and my team here at Capstone. Thank you for reading the Successful Acquisitions blog. I’ve enjoyed writing about the exciting deals that took place in 2014 and am anticipating another year of robust M&A in 2015. I look forward to resuming …
Tuna Producer Casts a Wider Net With Acquisition
Chicken of the Sea owner, Thai Union, leverages economies of scale in Bumble Bee transaction. Thai Union Frozen Products, announced that it would acquire Bumble Bee, the second-largest tuna company in the U.S., for $1. 5 billion. Although Thai Union is the number one global producer of canned tuna, this acquisition will help boost Thai …
’Tis the Season for Strategic Planning (Or Should Be)
Are you unusually busy? If you’re like most people the answer is yes! With the holiday season upon us, we are most of us inundated with commitments to work, family and friends. While it might be easy to get caught up in the bustle of the season, I recommend pausing to plan your growth path …
Buyers to Focus on Strategic M&A in 2015 [Infographic]
Next year will be a strong one for strategic acquirers. A KPMG survey reports 82% of executives expect to execute at least one acquisition in 2015, up from 63% in 2014. This is consistent with what Capstone has been seeing in the marketplace. Our survey of midmarket executives earlier in 2014 revealed that, 60% of …
After the Deal: CEOs Discuss M&A’s Impact on Growth
On our blog we often talk about the strategic rationale of acquisitions and the mechanics of planning and executing M&A. But after an acquisition is completed, how does M&A affect your company and what is it like to run a newly merged entity? As a third party M&A consultant I have learned best practices from …
Approaching an Owner for a Possible Acquisition? Don’t Write, Call.
How do you begin your courtship of a not-for-sale company? Sending a letter is fairly common practice for contacting owners, but it’s not the most effective way to communicate. A letter will not attract the owner’s attention and likely will go into the trash without being read. There’s a better way to stand out from the …
