Category: M&A and External Growth

Credit Union Mergers on the Rise

Credit union consolidations are on the rise in 2015, continuing a trend from previous years. There were 14% fewer credit unions in March 2015 than there were in March 2010, according to data from CUDATA.com. As credit unions consolidate, the number of smaller credit unions is decreasing while the number of large credit unions between $100-$500 million and over …

Continue reading

Survive or Thrive? J.C. Penney and the Jelly Fish Strategy

After facing near financial disaster, J.C. Penney is slowly recovering. Under former CEO Ron Johnson, the company struggled with a strategy that abandoned traditional sales. Now Marvin Ellison, J.C. Penney’s current CEO, is determined to rebuild by adopting a strategy of efficiency. Ellison explains, “We are taking a serious stance at making J.C. Penney a …

Continue reading

Secrets to Selecting the Best Market for Growth [VIDEO]

Selecting the right market is critical to successful growth. The market should have healthy, stable demand for your products or services and be aligned with your overall growth strategy. We strongly recommend selecting a market prior to identifying acquisition targets or potential partners. Without understanding market dynamics, you may be tempted to pursue what looks like a …

Continue reading

Is FinTech M&A the Next Big Idea for Credit Union Growth?

Aloha! We hope you have been enjoying these last few weeks of summer. Our very own Managing Director, John Dearing, recently returned from Maui, Hawaii, where he spoke at the National Credit Union Directors Conference hosted by CU Conferences on August 12 -15. John presented “Strategic Mergers and Acquisitions: Exploring External Growth” in two parts …

Continue reading

Strategic M&A: Berkshire Hathaway to Buy Precision Castparts

By now, many of you will have heard of Berkshire Hathaway’s $37.2 billion acquisition of Precision Castparts Corp. (PCC), an aerospace parts manufacturer. The acquisition is Berkshire Hathaway’s largest to-date which goes to show with each strategic acquisition, Berkshire Hathaway must make bigger and bigger deals to “move the needle.” Strategic and to the Point …

Continue reading

Who is Your M&A Champion?

Q: Who is the internal champion on the M&A team? What is their role? A: The internal champion is an important member of your M&A team. Your acquisition team should include people from your own company such as the CEO, CFO, the internal champion, and functional leaders, and external experts such as lawyers, accountants, valuation experts, due diligence experts …

Continue reading

Pharmaceutical M&A: The Rush to Acquire

Last week alone, there were three major consolidations in the pharmaceutical space: Teva will acquire the generic business of Allergan Hikma pharmaceuticals will acquire Roxane, Boehringer Ingelheim’s generic drug business Mylan will acquire Perrigo These three deals in just a few days reflect the trend of pharmaceutical consolidation as companies seek new products in order to …

Continue reading

M&A Update: 1H 2015 Was the Most Active Half Year Since 2007

Global dealmaking remains robust, reaching $2.2 trillion in the first half of 2015, according to Thomson Reuters data. This is an increase of nearly 40% from the first half of 2014 and the most active half since 2007. However, the number of deals only increased slightly, by 3%. The trend of fewer, larger transactions continues: …

Continue reading

Why ConAgra Plans to Sell Ralcorp Less than 3 Years Later

Packaged food company ConAgra Foods plans to divest its private label branch Ralcorp after acquiring it in 2012 for $5 billion. Why is ConAgra spinning off this private label business so quickly after acquisition? The many reasons include pressure from activist investors, poor performance, increased competition, and tighter margins. Ralcorp’s revenues dropped by 6 percent …

Continue reading

Strategic vs. Financial Acquisitions – What’s the difference?

I decided to answer a very basic, but important question about M&A, given that we often talk about strategic acquisitions. Q: What’s the difference between a financial and a strategic buyer? A: A financial buyer brings little inherent value to the transaction. Typically they bring capital and capital allocation knowledge, but usually no specific knowledge …

Continue reading

Load more