Technology, Capital Markets, Corporate Governance, Leadership, Entrepreneurship
Category: M&A
For our inaugural CEO Hall of Fame class we selected CEO Hall of Fame members largely based upon their contribution toward building their respective companies as well as creating long-term shareholder value. Our selection process included a variety of quantitative and qualitative elements including financial operating performance, total stock returns, longevity, innovation, corporate governance and … Continue reading The CEORater CEO Hall of Fame Class of 2020
Robinhood and other Fintech firms are using Social Media-based principles and tools such as "gamification" software to drive customer growth and usage. Legacy Asset Managers are taking the M&A route. Order Flow Revenue or "Pay-to-Play Revenue" is the revenue that Asset Managers generate from directing equity and options order flow to various trade execution firms … Continue reading Two Different Approaches To Growth: Fintech vs. Legacy Asset Managers
IBM plans to spin off the Managed Infrastructure Services business within its Global Tech Services ("GTS") segment (approximately $19B TTM revenue through June 2020). Doing so will provide more air time to the acquired RedHat OpenShift (IBM's "Hybrid Cloud" strategy) and cognitive computing businesses. Post-spin, the growth in these businesses will make a greater revenue … Continue reading New IBM CEO Arvind Krishna Understands the Value of Spin-Offs
It is amazing what institutional investors - especially large holders - put up with. Do Portfolio Managers communicate with CEOs any longer? PMs used to speak with management teams to provide feedback around capital allocation decisions, financial disclosures and more. My sense is that less of this interaction occurs today. Below we cover a few … Continue reading Institutional Investors Forgot They Have A Voice. PLUS – Big Tech Regulation.
CEOs that allow themselves to be ruled by ego and emotion, that need to see their name in news headlines ("Narcissist" CEOs as defined by Stanford Professor Charles O'Reilly), are more likely to take significant risks - including impulsive M&A transactions - at the expense of a thoughtful, long-term operating strategy. Stanford's O'Reilly has done … Continue reading Narcissist CEOs Drive Risky Corporate Behavior
Mass Mutual and Athene made a bid for American Equity Investment Life. Activist Trian took stakes in Invesco and Janus in an effort to build one of the largest Asset Managers. M&A is a quick way to scale AUM, but it does not change the paradigm for legacy Asset Managers. Legacy Asset Managers (and depository … Continue reading Consolidation Will Not Save Asset Managers
We recently called out several CEOs for putting forth less than optimal efforts. Conversely, here are several long-time, high quality CEOs - two of them founders - of market-leading companies. Tickers mentioned: Clarivate Analytics (tkr: CCC), CoStar Group (tkr: CSGP), SS&C Technologies (tkr: SSNC) Here are three quality CEOs where investors won't have to worry … Continue reading Three High Quality CEOs
At CEORater we evaluate CEOs on 42 attributes across four quadrants (Operations-related, Strategy & Tactics, Investor-related and Personality-related attributes). Great CEOs are time-tested, have a well-rounded skill set, are high character, are intellectually curious, the list goes on. Several founders and CEOs recently reminded us of their blind spots. Tickers mentioned: GM, ORCL, TSLA Mary … Continue reading CEO Quality Is Critical
Investment Bankers often forget that their "expertise" is not unique. First impressions are critical. Entrepreneurs have long memories. Service providers ought not take the attitude that they are being put out of their way, that they are doing the client a favor. Software platforms powered by AI, Machine Learning and workflow software are poised to … Continue reading AI and ML Are Poised to Remake I-Banking
Two head-scratching Technology deals. Oracle's TikTok deal appears to be smoke and mirrors while GM's due diligence on its Nikola deal appears to be surface-level at best. Both wreak of desperation. Oracle's TikTok deal is high on sizzle, low on substance. Assuming the Oracle/TikTok deal receives U.S. government approval and ultimately closes (we are not … Continue reading Questionable M&A Strategy (Oracle) and Due Diligence (GM)
