Primary Wave in Talks to Potentially Acquire Kobalt Music Group
Primary Wave is in advanced talks to acquire Kobalt Music Group, with a potential valuation north of $1.5 billion—roughly double the price paid by private‑equity owner Francisco Partners in 2022. The deal would merge Primary Wave’s $6 billion catalog portfolio with Kobalt’s publishing‑administration and AMRA royalty platform, creating a $7 billion‑plus independent music powerhouse. Kobalt’s revenue and EBITDA have surged, reporting $794 million in revenue and about $100 million EBITDA for the year ending June 2024. Francisco Partners, which holds a 90% stake, could exit far earlier than its typical five‑to‑seven‑year private‑equity horizon.
The Future of Japan’s Regional Banks: Demographics, Mergers, and a Tight Market
Japan’s regional banks, once pillars of local growth, now face shrinking deposits and borrowers as the nation records its 16th consecutive year of population decline. Consolidation is accelerating, highlighted by the 2025 Aomori Bank‑Michinoku Bank merger that now controls about...
Week in Review: Netflix Drops Its WBD Bid, Premier League Plans a Streaming App, and CTV Fuels Ad Tech Growth
Netflix has withdrawn its $83 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets, paving the way for Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion hostile offer, which the board has deemed superior. Paramount’s proposal, backed by Larry Ellison, now awaits regulatory clearance...
Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery Reshape Streaming?s Power Balance
Paramount Skydance Global and Warner Bros. Discovery have announced a $111 billion merger that would unite two major studios and their extensive content libraries. The combined entity would blend HBO’s premium brand with Paramount’s franchises such as Star Trekk, Mission: Impossible, Transformers and...
As 'Shockwaves And Shenanigans' Recede, Investors Move Fast To Snap Up UK Retail Bargains
UK retail property is re‑emerging as a high‑yield asset class, with prime shopping centre yields near 8% and secondary assets offering double‑digit returns. Transaction volumes in 2025 were modest at £5.83 bn, but the market saw a flurry of marquee deals,...
Netflix Dropping Its Bid for Warner Bros. Will Spur Big Gains for the Streaming Giant, Analysts Say
Netflix walked away from its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, letting the bid lapse as Paramount Skydance raised its offer to $31 per share. The decision erased a major overhang, sending Netflix stock up about 8% in pre‑market trading while Warner Bros. Discovery slipped...
Searchlight and Abry to Take IoT Company Kore Private for $726m
Searchlight Capital Partners and Abry Partners announced a joint acquisition of IoT platform provider Kore, taking the company private for approximately $726 million. The deal values Kore at $9.25 per share, covering all outstanding shares not already owned by the investors....
February 2026: Top Five Fintech M&A Stories of the Month
In February 2026, fintech M&A activity highlighted five marquee deals reshaping banking, asset management, digital payments, and wealth services. Santander agreed to acquire Webster Bank for $12.2 billion, positioning itself among the top‑ten U.S. retail banks. Nuveen’s £9.9 billion purchase of Schroders will...
Built For Retail
In 2024 paddlesports retailer Todd Frank bought inflatable canoe maker SOAR Inflatables, merging his 50‑year retail background with manufacturing. Frank leveraged his own Trail Head River Sports as the first outlet and has added three more retailers after showcasing at...
Exclusive: Astorg’s Mid-Cap Co-Head Edouard Pillot to Leave Firm
Astorg announced that Edouard Pillot, co‑head of its mid‑cap private‑equity team, will depart the firm. Lionel de Posson, Pillot’s fellow co‑head, will assume sole leadership of the mid‑cap unit. The change follows an internal restructuring aimed at streamlining decision‑making. Astorg...
PE Eyes Growth in Hospice Care Platforms: 5 Deals
Private equity firms are intensifying focus on hospice care platforms, with five notable deals reported this quarter. Kinderhook, Renovus and Revelstoke are among the investors leading the charge, targeting fragmented providers to build scalable platforms. The surge reflects broader demographic...
Athena Gold Plans Acquisition of Forester Gold Project in Ontario
Athena Gold announced an all‑share acquisition of the 4,900‑hectare Forester Gold Project in north‑western Ontario, securing a full interest while inheriting a 2% net smelter return royalty that can be repurchased for $2 million. The project sits less than 30 km from...
The Tale of Two Spin-Offs: What the Kellogg Breakup Really Achieved
Kellogg’s 2023 split produced two stand‑alone companies—Kellanova, a global snacking platform, and WK Kellogg, a North‑American cereal specialist. Both entities quickly attracted strategic buyers, with Mars acquiring Kellanova for roughly $36 bn and Ferrero purchasing WK Kellogg for $3.1 bn. The spin‑offs...
CPP Investments, Equinix Ink $4bn Deal for Nordic Data Center Platform atNorth
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) and global data‑center operator Equinix have signed a $4 billion agreement to develop the atNorth platform across the Nordics. The partnership will fund the construction of multiple hyperscale facilities, targeting the region’s growing demand...
Colorado Multi-Site Behavioral Health Platform
Prime exits® and American HealthCare Capital are offering a fully licensed behavioral health platform in Northern Colorado, comprising two ready‑to‑operate outpatient facilities. The business currently generates no revenue but retains all licenses, accreditation, EMR, billing systems and payer contracts, dramatically...
$16 Million Revenue National Healthcare Staffing Firm Specializing in HIT & Travel Nursing
A national healthcare staffing firm generated roughly $16.4 million in 2025 revenue and $3.7 million gross profit while operating two divisions—Health Information Technology (HIT) and travel nursing/allied health. The company leverages a proprietary database of over 174,000 clinicians and HIT professionals and...
Paramount-WBD Pact Is ‘Not a Done Deal,’ California AG Teases ‘Vigorous’ Investigation
California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned that the Paramount‑Warner Bros. Discovery merger is not finalized, citing an open state investigation. Paramount’s $31‑per‑share offer has been deemed superior, prompting Netflix to step aside. Regulators must still clear the deal amid concerns...
CNN’s Jake Tapper Breaks News of Paramount Buying Network’s Parent Company WBD Live on Air: ‘It Affects Everybody I’m Looking...
Paramount Skydance announced a presumptive offer to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent of CNN, after Netflix withdrew its competing bid. The announcement was made live on CNN’s "The Lead" by Jake Tapper, highlighting immediate relevance to the network’s staff. Political figures, including former...
Some of Warner Bros. Games' 'Biggest Franchises' To Return Starting Next Year, Netflix Backs Out of Bidding War with Paramount
Warner Bros. Discovery announced that its gaming division will refocus on its flagship franchises—Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, DC and Mortal Kombat—with new releases expected in 2027‑28. The company described 2025 as a reset year after shutting down MultiVersus and...
Calumet Inc (CLMT) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Calumet Specialty Products Partners reported Q4 2019 adjusted EBITDA of $49.9 million and full‑year adjusted EBITDA of $262.8 million, driven by a 24% rise in specialty segment earnings to $207.9 million. The company reduced debt by $391 million, bringing leverage down to 4.0 times EBITDA...
Camber Property Group Sells Rent-Stabilized Portfolio For $80M
Camber Property Group sold a rent‑stabilized Brooklyn portfolio for $79.9 million, nearly matching its 2020 purchase price of $81.5 million. The eight pre‑war buildings comprise 387 units and benefit from a Section 610 rent‑subsidy amendment and a 40‑year Article XI tax abatement. The deal...
Private Equity’s Expanding Playbook: Accounting and Consulting Firms
Private equity firms are increasingly targeting the fragmented accounting and consulting sector, where tens of thousands of CPA practices present a ripe consolidation landscape. Investors aim to roll up these firms into national platforms that can leverage scale, technology, and...
Pat McGrath Labs Still Looking for Buyers
Pat McGrath Labs has entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is being marketed to potential buyers by investment bank Gordian Group. The sale follows private‑equity firm GDA Luma’s recent acquisition of a controlling stake in the brand. Any transaction must settle over $60 million in debtor‑in‑possession...
Nexstar Expects Tegna Purchase To Close By End Of Q2
Nexstar Media Group expects its $2.5 billion acquisition of Tegna to close by the end of the second quarter, aligning with the anticipated surge in political advertising ahead of the 2026 election cycle. The company reported Q4 net revenue of $1.29 billion,...
Butterfly Equity Changes Control After Partner Dispute
Butterfly Equity, a private‑equity manager with roughly $7 billion in assets under management, has undergone a control shift following an internal partner dispute. Co‑founder Adam Waglay has emerged as the sole decision‑maker, consolidating ownership previously shared among partners. The restructuring resolves...
Augmentum Fintech Accepts £186m Cash Takeover Offer
Augmentum Fintech has agreed to a £185.7 million cash takeover by Norwegian buyout firm Verdane, representing a 27 % premium at 111 pence per share. The board unanimously recommended the offer, targeting completion in the second quarter. Augmentum’s portfolio includes 27 fintechs such...
Money Wins Again, as Netflix Drops Its Warner Bros. Acquisition Dreams
Netflix has formally withdrawn its bid to acquire part of Warner Bros. Discovery after Paramount raised its offer to $31 per share, valuing the deal around $77 billion. Netflix’s own proposal, previously estimated at $72 billion, was deemed too costly, and the...
Healthcare Deals 2025: Notable Mergers & Acquisitions Activity
Healthcare M&A activity surged in 2025, with financial distress driving a record 43% of transactions. Regulatory scrutiny intensified, highlighted by California’s new law tightening oversight of private‑equity deals. Major deals included UnitedHealth’s $3.3 billion acquisition of Amedisys, Baptist Memorial’s $55 million purchase of...
New Bill Would Impose Shot Clocks on FCC Merger Reviews
Two bipartisan lawmakers introduced the Keep It Moving Act to impose strict shot clocks on Federal Communications Commission merger reviews, formalizing the agency's informal 180‑day deadline. If the FCC exceeds the timeline, applicants could seek a court order to compel...
Cascades Targeting $100M in Additional Divestitures for 2026
Cascades announced a $100 million target for additional divestitures by mid‑2026 as it exits honeycomb and partition packaging segments and shuts three plants. The company sold its Richmond corrugated plant for $69 million, boosting cash flow and helping meet its $120 million asset‑sale...
International Paper CEO Pulls Back the Curtain on Planned Geographic Split
International Paper announced it will separate into two independent companies—one focused on North America and the other on Europe—after CEO Andy Silvernail highlighted regional strengths at the BofA 2026 Global Agriculture and Materials Conference. The split follows the $1.5 billion sale...
COMvergence: 2025 Marcom M&A Volume Grew Slightly
Marcom M&A activity in 2025 edged higher to 55 deals, reflecting a modest rise from 2024 but still far below the 2016 peak. The sector’s focus has shifted from expansion‑driven roll‑ups to infrastructure‑led consolidation centered on AI, cloud, and data...
Medtech M&A Starts Off Strong in 2026
Medtech M&A kicks off 2026 with several multibillion‑dollar deals. Boston Scientific announced a $14.5 billion acquisition of Penumbra, while Danaher disclosed a $9.9 billion purchase of Masimo. At the same time, major divestitures are underway, including BD’s planned $17.5 billion sale of its...
Green Value Supports Transaction: Green Value GmbH Assists Balance Erneuerbare Energien GmbH in Biogas Portfolio Acquisition
Green Value GmbH assisted Balance Erneuerbare Energien GmbH in acquiring a 46 MW portfolio of biogas plants located in Saxony, Saxony‑Anhalt and Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern. The transaction includes technical due diligence and risk assessment performed by Green Value, with plans to modernize and...
Shift4 Shifts Its Focus to International Deals
Shift4 Payments reported record Q4 results and announced a strategic pivot toward international growth. The company closed a $2.5 billion acquisition of Swiss tax‑free shopping platform Global Blue and added Australia‑based Smartpay to its portfolio. To capitalize on these assets, Shift4 is...
SOCAR Gets EU Green Light for Major Italian Petrol Bid
The European Commission has approved Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR to acquire 99.82% of Italy’s Italiana Petroli, including its two refineries and a network of roughly 4,500 fuel stations. The deal adds about 10 million tonnes per year of crude‑processing capacity to...
IPG Integration Could Give OMC Indigestion
Omnicom Group announced its merger with Interpublic (IPG), creating a larger advertising conglomerate but triggering thousands of job cuts. The combined firm’s 10‑K highlights significant integration risks, including talent uncertainty, higher‑than‑expected costs, and possible loss of clients and vendors. Management...
Clearlake’s Feliciano Tells How to Pick Winners and Losers in AI Disruption
José Feliciano, co‑founder and managing partner of Clearlake Capital, told PE Hub that AI‑driven disruption in public tech and software markets is opening compelling opportunities in the private‑equity space. He explained that as public valuations compress, investors can target companies...
Kraft Heinz and the Structural Reckoning Facing Legacy CPG
Kraft Heinz’s recent decision to pause a split underscores a broader crisis for legacy packaged‑food firms. The company’s relentless focus on zero‑based budgeting and margin expansion delivered short‑term cash flow but culminated in a $15.4 billion goodwill impairment, exposing the limits...
PE Weekly: Consumers Come Back Into Focus for Dealmakers
Private equity activity this week highlighted a renewed focus on consumer‑oriented businesses, with multiple platform investments ranging from women’s footwear to home‑health and fitness equipment. Notable deals include Gordon Brothers’ purchase of Chinese Laundry, Kinderhook’s $1.1 billion take‑private of Enhabit, and...
Momentum Midstream Explores Sale That Could Fetch $5B
EnCap Flatrock Midstream is exploring a sale of its gas‑pipeline subsidiary Momentum Midstream for a price exceeding $5 billion. The private‑equity firm has engaged advisers and is gauging interest from rivals and other buy‑out funds. Momentum operates roughly 4,000 miles of...
CesiumAstro Acquires Vidrovr to Embed AI in Communications Systems
CesiumAstro announced the acquisition of AI‑focused startup Vidrovr to embed artificial intelligence into its space‑based communications payloads. The deal, closed in late 2025, adds multimodal signal‑analysis and edge‑computing capabilities to CesiumAstro’s software‑defined phased‑array systems, including the Element satellite. By integrating...
Phantom Space Reclaims Former Vector Launch Technology
Phantom Space has acquired launch assets from the defunct Vector Launch, including flight‑proven design elements and engineering data. The assets will be integrated into Phantom’s Daytona two‑stage rocket to cut development risk and accelerate its schedule. Phantom, which has raised...
Pfizer Advances Beam’s Gene Editor After Pulling Hemophilia Gene Therapy
Pfizer has signed a global gene‑editing partnership with Beam Therapeutics, reviving its genetics ambitions after withdrawing the hemophilia B therapy Beqvez a year earlier. The agreement includes a $300 million upfront payment and up to $1.05 billion in milestones, granting Pfizer exclusive worldwide...
Unrest Continues at Intermarché Belgium
Intermarché Belgium’s 2022 acquisition of the Mestdagh franchise doubled its store count but triggered operational chaos, leading to multiple bankruptcies and legal disputes. Independent shopkeepers report tens of millions of euros in debt as the group allegedly shifts invoices onto...
Tencent Set to Buy Stake in Block Blast Maker Hungry Studio
Tencent is in talks to acquire a small equity stake in Hungry Studio, the Hong‑Kong developer behind the hyper‑popular mobile title Block Blast. The game now boasts 70 million daily active users and 300 million monthly users, up from 40 million DAU a...
Oaktree Considers Sale or London IPO of UK Wealth Manager Utmost
Oaktree Capital is weighing a sale or a London IPO for its UK wealth‑management platform Utmost, signaling renewed interest in public market exits for private‑equity‑owned financial services. Meanwhile, Carlyle’s US buyout platform is on track to realise nearly $12 billion in...
EG Group to Divest French Operations
EG Group announced it will sell its French operating business, including 260 convenience and fuel sites, to co‑founder Zuber Issa’s vehicle EG On Move via a put option. The divestiture follows a staged exit that began with the sale of...
Sigma’s Double-Digit Sales, Profit Growth ‘Proves’ Merger Decision
Sigma Healthcare reported double‑digit growth in its first‑half fiscal results, driven by the Chemist Warehouse network. Revenue rose 15% to $5.5 billion, normalised EBIT increased 18.7% to $582.9 million, and NPAT grew 19.2% to $392 million. Chemist Warehouse sales jumped 17.2% to $5.1 billion,...
AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron Lauds ‘Besties’ Netflix Relationship
AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron highlighted the growing partnership with Netflix, noting that exclusive theatrical events such as the KPop Demon Hunters premiere and the Stranger Things series finale drove 35% of the film's total audience and generated $15 million in...