Tag: Pfizer

Pfizer and Allergan Break Up: Lessons in Staying Ahead of M&A Hazards

Pfizer and Allergan have announced that they are abandoning their $160 billion merger. This resulted from a political storm around tax inversions, a technique whereby US companies relocate abroad to avoid the high US corporate tax rates. The Treasury department took action to insert new rules that effectively killed the financial benefits of the deal. …

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Middle Market Companies Holding Onto Cash

Instead of investing in growth, companies this year have been holding more than $1.4 trillion in cash – close to a record $1.65 trillion in 2014. Oracle’s $56 billion cash stockpile is 1.5 times its sales and Cisco’s $60 billion in cash is 1.2 times its sales. Eleven companies have cash reserves double their annual …

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Valeant Acquires Salix in the Latest Wave of Pharmaceutical M&A

Yesterday, Salix Pharmaecuticals accepted Valeant’s raised takeover offer of $10.96 billion in cash, ending the bidding war between Endo and Valeant for the gastrointestinal drug maker. Valeant’s new offer of $173 per share is about a 10% increase over its original offer of $158 per share. Valeant also paid $296 million for assets of bankrupt …

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The Dangers of Getting Swept Away In the Excitement of a Deal

“The danger with a mergers-and-acquisitions boom is that chief executives could allow themselves to get carried away by the thrill of the hunt, reducing their focus on internal investment projects that might have a better chance of bearing fruit,” says the New York Time’s Dealbook column. M&A activity has reached record highs and shows no …

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Why Pfizer Really Wants to Acquire AstraZeneca

Pfizer looks to AstraZeneca acquisition to bolster its drug pipeline and reap tax savings. Pfizer’s $119 billion bid for AstraZenca indicates a change in strategy for the company. According to the Wall Street Journal  “A big deal, potentially worth $100 billion, would mean Pfizer is shifting from its steady diet of cost-cutting and reorganizations over …

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