Technology, Capital Markets, Corporate Governance, Leadership, Entrepreneurship
Category: M&A
The deal for Australia's Link Group (tkr: LNK) is a competitive one, insofar as Link Group has disclosed. The competing prospective acquirers include SS&C Technologies (tkr: SSNC), and a pair of private equity firms - Sydney-based Pacific Equity Partners (Link's former owner) and Carlyle Group (tkr: CG) whom are bidding together. Our best guess is … Continue reading We Like The Prospective Link Group Acquisition for SS&CPremium
A WarnerMedia sale is not likely to happen before Q4 2021. A WarnerMedia sale is likely to occur, but not before calendar Q4 2021. The WarnerMedia business unit is a significant drag on AT&T's (tkr: T) ability to invest in its core, capital intensive, distribution/data/fiber business. Disney (tkr: DIS) is the natural buyer. Apple (tkr: … Continue reading Don’t Expect AT&T to Sell WarnerMedia In The Near-Term
Given inflated Technology company valuations and a weakening U.S. Dollar, we expect for stock swap M&A transactions to continue - especially as it relates to cross-border M&A. The DXY Index continues to drop as the USD falls relative to the currency basket (click chart below). The U.S. economy remains soft. Companies continue to cut headcount. … Continue reading Stock Swap Transactions Are Likely To Continue
The lofty valuations enjoyed by many Technology companies won't last forever. Whether it be Biden corporate tax increases (we will know more after January 5th), the Fed allowing interest rates to tick higher (likely not in 2021), or some other event, there is more downside risk than upside opportunity for many richly valued Technology companies. … Continue reading Would Snowflake Leverage Its Currency to Acquire SAS?
A few years ago we recommended that IBM (tkr: IBM) roll-up certain Information Services assets to complement its Infrastructure Services business. In the meantime the Information Services space is rolling up itself with S&P Global (tkr: SPGI) working to acquire IHS Markit (tkr: INFO) as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Tickers mentioned: CCC, DNB, … Continue reading S&P Global Reported to Acquire IHS Markit
We selected five top CEOs across five Technology categories. Three of the five CEOs are founders: FinTech - Payments: Jack Dorsey, Square (tkr: SQ)FinTech - Capital Markets/ Asset Mgt.: Jeffrey Sprecher, Intercontinental Exchange (tkr: ICE)Information Services: Jerre Stead, Clarivate Analytics (tkr: CCC)Platform Companies: Satya Nadella, Microsoft (tkr: MSFT)PropTech: Andrew Florance, CoStar Group (tkr: CSGP) Click … Continue reading CEORater 2020 Technology CEOs of the Year
Technology companies are accelerating share repurchase activity in the face of economic uncertainty and record high share prices. This runs counter to our preference which is to invest for long-term growth. Apple (AAPL) spent $72 billion on share repurchases in the fiscal year ended September 30th, up from $67 billion last year. AAPL cash flows. … Continue reading Share Repurchase Activity Is Accelerating at The Expense of Investing for Growth
An effective recipe for crowding out innovation consists of companies taking on massive amounts of leverage coupled with a Federal Government that has a negative bias toward mergers and acquisitions. We are experiencing this phenomenon now with corporate debt & loans at approximately 56% of GDP (as of Q2, chart below) and a DOJ that … Continue reading High Debt Levels and Negative M&A Bias Are Crowding Out Innovation
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
