Mergermarket

📣 Your essential M&A update is here! Discover our 1H24 Highlights report now: https://lnkd.in/e5ZpDunp   Global M&A volume grew 17% YoY to USD 1.6trn in the first half of 2024, driven by a resurgence in activity in North America. Corporate buyers have reclaimed the spotlight, accounting for 73% of the deal volume—a return to pre-pandemic levels. Notably, seven of the top 10 deals involved strategic buyers from traditional industries:   🏦 Financial Services: Capital One ⛽ Oil and Gas: Diamondback Energy & ConocoPhillips 🛒 Retail: Home Depot 💊 Pharmaceuticals: Novo 💻 Software: Synopsys (the only tech deal in the top 10)   Explore these insights and more in our full report!

The North American healthcare sector saw deal value drop more than 20% to USD USD 112bn from USD 140bn, and the number of deals drop 26% year-over-year to 565 from 768 from 1H23 to 1H24, according to Mergermarket data: https://lnkd.in/gXgEhf3Y

Sport Alliance GmbH, a German provider of software for the fitness industry, is actively seeking acquisition opportunities, CFO and Managing Director Philipp Rusch told Mergermarket. The company, backed by Boston-based sponsor PSG Equity since 2021, is primarily interested in acquiring mid-size operators of gym-management software in Europe: https://lnkd.in/gXfbAnuz

M&A practitioners in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH) are betting on a surge in deal activity in September and October, particularly among German mid-cap companies that have been in private equity (PE) portfolios for a while. The first half of 2024 exits saw an 86% rise in exit deal volumes, with EUR 9.4bn across 32 deals, when compared with the same period last year, according to Mergermarket data. The pace intensified, with 21 exits worth EUR 8bn crossing the line in 2Q24. More here: https://lnkd.in/e4wTftPn

Shearwater Health, a private equity-backed nurse staffing and technology provider, has appointed Harris Williams to conduct a sale process, according to three sources familiar with the situation. Nashville-based Shearwater, a portfolio company of Windrose Health Investors since 2015, generates around USD 50m in EBITDA: https://lnkd.in/eyV6cC8a

Going to therapy has slowly been becoming more mainstream for years. As a result of this secular trend, ticket sizes in deals involving European mental health clinics and psychotherapy services have also been creeping higher. Deal volumes took off in 2023, largely thanks to the restructuring of a French care-homes provider Orpea, according to Mergermarket data. The YTD is already off to a flying start with nine deals worth EUR 103m. More here: https://lnkd.in/eUeiMh-Z

DEAG (Deutsche Entertainment Akiengesellschaft) is in advanced talks with several acquisition candidates and is confident of completing acquisitions this year, CEO Detlef Kornett told Mergermarket: https://lnkd.in/dUQffT7w DEAG will continue to play an active role in the consolidation of the European live entertainment industry, and intends to further expand into European markets by growing in its ticketing and festivals sectors organically as well as via M&A. Interesting targets include ticketing-sector players with an average EBITDA margin above 10%, and single and double-digit million revenue companies.

Welcome to the team, Atholl Simpson! We're thrilled to announce that Atholl is joining us from Citywire in New York, where he served as the editor of its Americas coverage. With 15 years of experience as a breaking news reporter and editor in the investment, asset, and wealth management sectors across Europe, Asia, the US, and Latin America, Atholl brings a wealth of knowledge to our team. Born in Scotland, he has lived in France and Spain, and now considers himself a fully-fledged Brooklynite after over nine years in the US. We're excited about the perspectives he'll bring to our coverage!

Interested in APAC M&A trends for 1H24? Download our M&A Highlights report for key insights from the region 👉 https://lnkd.in/e5ZpDunp Dealmaking in Asia Pacific sank to a 15-year low after dropping 26% in the first half to USD 264.3bn. Technology remained the largest sector both in terms of deal volume and deal count with USD 41bn across 1,288 transactions. Smaller deals dominated, with only two tech transactions in APAC’s top ten deals in the first half: the USD 2.75bn listing via Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) of Indian data-center provider Nidar Infrastructure in June; and the sale of a 9.6% stake in Australian graphic design startup Canva for USD 2.5bn to Goldman Sachs in April.

BNP Paribas’ nascent US equity capital markets team is seeing growing deal opportunities as long-standing European corporates target North America for ECM deals, US co-heads Evan Riley and Mark Lynagh told Mergermarket: https://lnkd.in/gEJbv7rg Several offerings in the past year have been trans-Atlantic in nature. US exchanges have seen offerings including Birkenstock, Amer Sports and ARM. More UK and European listed corporates are in conversations to either add a secondary listing in New York, or to shift primary listings to a US exchange, meaning cross border will become a more frequent element of ECM issuance.