M&A deal success can often hinge on the choice of funding strategy
Although many sources of finance are available to fund an acquisition, the financing structure should fit the individual transaction
Mergers & Acquisitions Special Report
Sectoral outlook: Healthcare, financial services and IT have seen high level of M&A activity in recent years
Will this continue in 2024? And what other sectors are likely to see high levels of activity in the year ahead?
Venture capital funding fall for Irish tech merely a speedbump
Q3 figures reflected 2023′s global headwinds but there is positivity around VC funds in the year ahead
Selling to management a speedier, simpler option if the price is right
MBOs can be faster and more straightforward than the open market but there is often a valuation trade-off
Resilience in 2023 underpins positive M&A outlook for the year ahead
Irish merger and acquisition activity held up surprisingly well last year against a challenging global backdrop
Top deals of 2023: Irish firms party to 400 mergers and acquisitions
Smurfit Kappa and CRH headed the 2023 M&A leader board with multibillion-dollar moves in the US
Keeping intellectual capital in the building can strengthen a merger
‘Golden handcuffs’ such as stock options and bonuses are useful for hanging on to important human assets
How should a buyer place a fair and accurate valuation on a business?
No one wants to pay too much for an acquisition - but pitching too low can scupper a deal
How sellers can bridge a valuation gap and realise their expectations
Aiming for a buyer that is the right fit for your company can help when it comes to meeting on price
Fair-weather friend shoring?
How geopolitical tensions are affecting friend shoring, nearshoring and reshoring
Structure of a merger and acquisition deal as important as the price
M&A transaction structures vary depending on the requirements and business types of both seller and buyer
Artificial intelligence offers enormous potential for due diligence during M&As
Use of AI to enable companies accelerate target identification and evaluation of potential acquisitions
History is littered with disastrous mergers – here’s how to avoid one
Preparation, clarity around objectives and understanding a seller’s culture are key to avoiding M&A failure
Preparing for sale
Time spent preparing for a sale process is time that that can pay dividends later on down the line
Turbulent times for dealmakers but reasons for cautious optimism
Last year started strongly but was a year of two halves in relation to activity; 2023 looks set to reverse that trend, with a stronger performance in the second half
Taking the MBO option
An MBO not only secures the future of the business but also provides a clear exit plan for shareholders and incentivises management with equity in the company
Companies with strong sustainability credentials are more attractive propositions
ESG factors are increasingly important in identifying targets, particularly for private-equity buyers, but are seldom initial primary drivers of typical M&A deals
Tech-sector takeovers accounted for most of 2022′s top deals
Microsoft’s gaming move didn’t play out but there was plenty of heavyweight M&A activity last year
Plan to solve the integration equation early in M&A process
In many ways acquisition only begins when the deal is done – a strong integration strategy is crucial
Keeping key staff in times of disruption
There is no one-size fits all solution to the problem of potential brain drain. Any plan should be specific to the business and built around the targets that need to be achieved, both financial and qualitative
Digitising the data to smooth the process
VDRs enable M&A due diligence processes to be conducted in a structured, efficient and collaborative manner where parties can analyse and access matters on the deal
Most Irish technology companies ‘built to be sold’
A look back at M&A over 2022 and predicting what sectors will see activity in 2023
International outlook makes Irish firms attractive to UK and US funds
Slowdown in Britain another key driver of increased investor interest, particularly at mid-market level
Don’t discount the importance of people when it comes to funding a deal
There are plenty of M&A funds in the market but an experienced team is essential to accessing them
Energy, consolidation and lots of cash set to drive 2023 deal activity
Barry McCall looks at some of the key themes and trends likely to dominate the M&A market in the year ahead.
Megacap tech firms with $600bn of cash could drive wave of deal-making
Experts believe conditions are right for number of high-value deals to occur this year
ESG set to remain key factor in multinational investment strategies
Buyers now taking more holistic approach to ESG due diligence
Spinning out: How and why companies divest
Practice used by major corporations with multiple businesses has both pros and cons
Building a career in M&A? How to get started
Qualifying in law or accounting, and preferably both, can be a good way in
Expert view: after a record 2021, what’s in store for 2022?
Globalisation of the sector a key trend – a win for Irish firms
So what sectors had the most M&A activity?
‘One of the reasons we have been seeing a lot of M&A is the psychology of a typical entrepreneur’
A ‘banner year’ for M&A activity across Ireland
Sales included CPL Resources, Valeo Foods, Panda Group and United Drug
Microsoft’s offer for Activision sets scene for blockbuster year for M&A in gaming
Take-Two Interactive Software said it will buy Zynga in a deal valued at $11bn
Post-merger integration aims at avoiding ‘them and us’ problems
Planning integration of an acquired firm needs to begin early in the transaction
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