Know What's Happening in M&A
Know What's Happening in M&A
Nursing home operators are slowing mergers and acquisitions in 2026 as inflated asset prices and an aging facility stock raise concerns about long‑term sustainability. Leaders such as A.G. Rhodes, Diversicare and Focused Post‑Acute are prioritizing capital for modernization, data analytics and value‑based care programs over rapid expansion. While about 40% of surveyed operators still plan purchases, many are trimming footprints—Diversicare exited Texas—to wait for normalized bed‑price levels. The shift reflects a broader industry move toward I‑SNP participation, specialty services and stronger managed‑care partnerships.
United Airlines CFO Michael Leskinen hinted at a possible United‑JetBlue merger during a Barclays conference, suggesting the airline sees value in industry consolidation. He also disclosed that United will ground its Pratt & Whitney‑powered 777 fleet this summer, temporarily curbing...
eBay agreed to buy Depop from Etsy for $1.2 billion in cash, with the deal slated to close in Q2 2026. Depop, a social‑centric C2C fashion marketplace, will keep its brand and culture after the acquisition. The purchase follows Etsy’s 2021 $1.6 billion...
McKinsey reports that generative AI has slashed M&A costs by roughly 20% and accelerated deal timelines by 10% to 30%. The technology enables faster target identification, due diligence, and integration, especially amid geopolitical and supply‑chain disruptions. Bain finds one in...
A Texas federal judge denied the Federal Trade Commission’s emergency request to extend a seven‑day pause on its order that dismantles a sweeping pre‑merger reporting rule. The FTC now has until Thursday to seek relief from the Fifth Circuit Court...
InfraVia Capital Partners, Telefónica and Liberty Global, through their Nexfibre joint venture, announced a $2.7 billion acquisition of Substantial Group, the United Kingdom’s second‑largest alternative fiber provider. The deal merges private‑equity capital with telecom expertise to expand Nexfibre’s footprint in the...
Gold has surged to a record $5,000 per ounce, unleashing unprecedented cash flows into the mining sector. The rally enabled a $639 million takeover of Magnetic Resources by Genesis Minerals and a $175 million placement for Horizon Minerals, underscoring a wave of...
In this brief episode, the hosts recap Procore's Q4 and full‑year 2025 financial results, highlighting its strong performance in the construction software market. They then discuss NetSuite's new suite of innovations aimed at boosting operational efficiency and supporting rapid growth...
Omnicom reported a $941.1 million GAAP loss for Q4 2025, the first quarter after completing its $15 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group. Revenue surged 27.9% year‑over‑year to $5.5 billion, and adjusted EBITA reached $928.9 million with a 16.8% margin. The company doubled its cost‑synergy goal...
Largest merger arbitrage books (by 13-F*) Pentwater: $10.6 billion HBK: $8.1 billion Millennium: $7.8 billion Balyasny: $5.3 billion Fidelity: $4.4 billion Citadel: $2.9 billion Qube: $2.7 billion AQR: $2.4 billion Glazer: $2.3 billion Magnetar: $2.1 billion h/t Cantor
Caturus Energy announced a $950 million purchase of SM Energy’s Galvan Ranch assets, adding about 61,000 net acres and 250 MMcfed of daily gas production in Webb County, Texas. The acquisition lifts Caturus’s pro‑forma net output to roughly 950 MMcfed across 275,000 acres,...
Global Payments announced a 300‑agent salesforce expansion in 2026, following its recent acquisition of Worldpay. The company will invest $1 billion this year to accelerate growth of its Genius processing brand and AI capabilities. Adjusted net revenue rose 1% to $2.32 billion...
Global Payments completed a $24.25 billion acquisition of Worldpay and sold its card‑issuing unit for $12 billion, positioning the company as a pure‑play merchant acquirer. The firm highlighted strong early performance of its Genius point‑of‑sale platform, now covering restaurants, retail, drive‑throughs and...
International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) posted 2025 results showing its Food Ingredients division generated $3.28 bn in revenue but delivered the lowest profit margin at 12.9%. Sales in the division fell 3% despite overall company growth, while Taste, Scent and Health...
Activist investors intensified pressure on U.S. companies, with push‑to‑sell campaigns rising 29% in 2025, reaching a five‑year high. More than 30 firms encountered shareholder resistance to M&A deals, while overall activist activity modestly declined to 579 targets. Concurrently, private‑equity firms...
The episode examines the recurring speculation that Madison Square Garden’s flagship assets—the New York Knicks and Rangers—might be taken private after another spin-off of MSG’s publicly traded entity. Host and guests discuss the historical discount of MSG stock to its...
Today's M&A and SPAC notes $IHS to be acquired by MTN Group for $8.50 cash, 3.3% premium, $6.2 billion $MCW to be acquired by Leonard Green & Partners for $7.00 cash, 16.5% premium, $3.1 billion $POLE / StoreDot deal terminated $AACIU $225 million IPO https://t.co/ugQ3GsLFCw
The Association for Corporate Growth’s Q1 2026 Market Pulse Survey shows middle‑market dealmakers remain cautiously optimistic, with 64% anticipating a slight increase in M&A activity over the next six months—mirroring the prior quarter and up from 54% earlier in the...
InfraVia, Liberty Global and Telefónica’s joint venture nexfibre has agreed to acquire Netomnia, the parent of YouFibre and brsk, in a £2 billion transaction. The deal consolidates a significant portion of the UK’s full‑fibre retail market under nexfibre’s control. It brings...
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened a merger inquiry on 10 October 2025 into the proposed combination of Vandemoortele Group and Délifrance S.A., two major players in the pastry market. A Phase 1 decision on 8 December 2025 concluded the deal would likely...
Leonard Green & Partners announced a definitive agreement to acquire Mister Car Wash, Inc. for $3.1 billion in cash, paying $7 per share, a 16.5% premium to the prior close. The transaction values the car‑wash operator at 13.78 times EBITDA and...
M&A activity remains a high‑stakes gamble, with nearly half of large U.S. acquisitions eventually undone. A 27‑year study of 1,636 S&P 500 deals shows a 46% divestiture rate and an average ten‑year lag before breakup. Failures cluster around two patterns:...
The looming patent cliff, projected to strip up to $300 billion in annual drug sales by 2032, is keeping large pharma firms focused on strategic acquisitions rather than triggering a sudden surge in deal volume. Dan Chancellor of Norstella notes that...
InfraVia, Liberty Global and Telefónica, via their joint venture Nexfibre, announced a £2 bn acquisition of Substantial Group, the owner of altnet Netomnia. The deal adds roughly three million premises and 450,000 customers, targeting an eight‑million‑premise footprint by 2027 and a...
Moore Kingston Smith forecasts a modest rebound in UK media and marketing M&A in 2026 after a 23% drop to 301 deals in 2025, the slowest since the pandemic. Buyers are prioritising capability‑driven targets—especially sports, influencer, and media‑buying agencies that...
SPP Capital Partners released its February 2026 Middle Market Deal Terms snapshot, updating leverage, debt‑to‑EBITDA, and pricing metrics for senior bank cash‑flow, senior non‑bank unitranche, and junior capital across micro, small and mid‑cap segments. Compared with February 2025, leverage ratios have nudged...
New pod: Time for a scandal-induced fire sale...Who's gonna buy the Wasserman agency? With @Lucas_Shaw. https://t.co/A5o9vSMmEb
Ted Sarandos Slams Paramount for ‘Flooding the Zone With Misinformation’ as Warner Bros. Discovery Initiates New Talks With Rival Suitor https://t.co/rpsvBCV0vj via @variety
JFB Construction Holdings will merge with defense‑software firm XTEND in an all‑stock deal, creating a Nasdaq‑listed AI‑driven autonomous defense robotics company named XTEND AI Robotics. XTEND shareholders will own roughly 70% of the new entity while JFB shareholders retain about...
Crane reported adjusted EPS of $1.64 for Q4 2025, driven by 5.6% core sales growth and strong performance in its Aerospace & Electronics segment. The company raised its full‑year adjusted EPS guidance to $5.75‑$5.95, implying roughly 20% earnings growth at...
Royal Gold reported record 2025 results, with annual revenue of $1 billion, a 43% increase, and operating cash flow of $705 million. The company completed major acquisitions of Sandstorm Gold and Horizon Copper, expanding its portfolio to roughly 80 producing and 30...
American Water reported adjusted earnings of $5.64 per share for 2025, an 8.9% increase year‑over‑year, and affirmed 2026 EPS guidance of $6.02‑$6.12. The utility deployed roughly $3.2 billion in capital projects, emphasizing pipe replacement, treatment upgrades, PFAS remediation, lead line removal...
The FCC’s chair, Brendan Carr, signaled support for the pending Nexstar‑Tegna merger and indicated the agency will move forward, though details on the required waiver or audience‑cap exception remain unsettled. Commissioners Anna Gomez and Olivia Trusty are expected to join...
And in the end, #Paramount got the momentum it wanted luring investors directly, as after active investor #AncoraCapital demanded WBD to reopen negotiations with #Paramount, $WBD announced this TUE it’ll invite $PSKY back to the negotiation table for a 7-day...
Ovintiv announced a $3 billion cash sale of its Anadarko holdings in Oklahoma, encompassing roughly 360,000 net acres across the SCOOP and STACK plays. The divestiture, slated to close in Q2 2026, follows the company’s recent $2.7 billion acquisition of NuVista Energy,...
Future Standard’s CFO McGeehin highlighted two dominant trends shaping private‑equity sponsors at the Private Funds CFO New York Forum. First, general‑partner (GP) mergers and acquisitions are gaining momentum as firms seek scale, talent, and diversified product suites. Second, retail‑focused strategies...
Gilead Sciences has agreed to pay $80 million upfront to Suzhou Genhouse Bio for worldwide rights to GH31, a clinic‑ready oncology molecule. GH31 employs synthetic lethality to inhibit the MAT2A enzyme, a target implicated in several cancers. The deal follows regulatory...
Paramount Skydance ‘Prepared to Engage’ With Warner Bros. Discovery on Takeover Talks, but Doesn’t Indicate Whether It Will Raise Price of Its Hostile Bid https://t.co/UtIQUrAntR via @variety
Greenbriar Capital Partners announced it will acquire AIT Worldwide Logistics, a global freight forwarding firm. The transaction will be financed by Greenbriar’s existing investors, with The Jordan Company, the private equity backer of Greenbriar, set to exit upon closing. The...
Portland General Electric (PGE) announced a $1.9 billion acquisition of utility operations and assets from PacifiCorp. The deal encompasses transmission lines, generation facilities, and related infrastructure across the Pacific Northwest. PGE expects the purchase to add roughly 200,000 new customers and...
The Department of Justice has launched a wide‑ranging investigation into Netflix’s planned $82.7 billion merger with Warner Bros., citing antitrust concerns over media consolidation. Critics argue the probe is a political maneuver to aid billionaire Larry Ellison’s competing bid for Warner’s...
Choice Health at Home announced the acquisition of Alliant Home Health, Alliant Palliative Care, and Alliant Hospice, extending its service portfolio in Colorado. The deal, closed on November 12, 2025, adds occupational and physical therapy, skilled nursing, and hospice services...
Blackstone announced a definitive agreement to acquire Champions Group, a leading home‑services provider, from Odyssey. The transaction includes a minority equity stake retained by Odyssey and the company’s management, ensuring continued alignment of interests. Financial terms were not disclosed, but...
Fitch Ratings projects a surge in European insurance mergers and acquisitions in 2026 as soft non‑life pricing and stable investment yields curb organic growth. The agency argues that deals can deliver diversification, scale and technology access, but warns of integration...
Mistral AI announced its first acquisition, buying French serverless cloud startup Koyeb. The move aims to accelerate Mistral's AI compute offering and build a sovereign AI cloud platform. Mistral, founded in 2023, has raised nearly €2.8 bn and is valued at...
M&A activity is reviving in 2026 after a subdued 2025. Last year saw marquee deals such as e.l.f. Beauty’s $1 billion purchase of Rhode and PepsiCo’s $2 billion acquisition of Poppi. Tariff pressures that kept many potential buyers on the sidelines are...
Netflix on Tuesday called Paramount’s “antics” in the bidding process an “ongoing distraction” for Warner shareholders. https://t.co/qxzp2o4uzj
Palo Alto Networks announced it will acquire AI‑agent security startup Koi, a move aimed at strengthening visibility and protection for AI‑driven workloads on endpoint devices. While the purchase price was not disclosed, a prior report suggested a $400 million valuation. Koi’s...
AWH Partners has purchased the 122‑key Hotel Trio Healdsburg for $38 million, equating to $311,475 per key—significantly below the estimated $500,000 replacement cost in Sonoma County. The all‑suite, Marriott‑branded property is the only Residence Inn in northern Sonoma and the second‑largest hotel...
Former shareholders of Valtech Cardio have sued its parent, Edwards Lifesciences, in the Delaware Chancery Court, alleging the medical‑device giant deliberately stalled development of a heart‑valve repair system. The lawsuit claims Edwards is avoiding payment of up to $300 million in...
