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 them. Management disputes these claims, pointing to doubled turnover in former Mestdagh locations and continued growth ambitions. Despite the turmoil, the retailer plans further store openings and new formats across Belgium.
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...
Middleby Corp (MIDD) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Middleby Corp completed the sale of a 51% stake in its Residential Kitchen segment, generating $565 million in cash and retaining a 49% interest. The company accelerated share repurchases, buying back $960 million of stock and cutting the share count by roughly...
GigaCloud Technology Inc (GCT) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
GigaCloud Technology reported record Q3 2025 revenue of $333 million, a 10% year‑over‑year increase, and a quarterly EPS of $0.99. Growth was powered by a 70% surge in European revenue, bringing the region to $100 million, while product revenue rose 16% YoY...
Viatris Inc (VTRS) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Viatris reported Q4 2025 revenue of $3.76 billion, a 1% decline year‑over‑year, but achieved 1% operational revenue growth when the indoor‑facility impact is excluded. Strong commercial performance drove double‑digit sales gains in Greater China (+9%), emerging markets (+7%) and Europe (+1%)....
Nexstar, Scripps, Sinclair Express Regulatory Optimism
Broadcasters are buoyed by FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s hints of relaxed ownership rules and a Trump endorsement of Nexstar’s $6 billion Tegna acquisition. Nexstar, Scripps and Sinclair all highlighted this regulatory optimism in recent earnings calls, stressing strategic M&A and operational...
Ecovyst Inc (ECVT) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Ecovyst reported Q2 2025 Ecoservices sales of $176 million, a 14% year‑over‑year increase driven by higher sulfur pass‑throughs and the newly acquired Wagaman site. Adjusted EBITDA reached just under $56 million, surpassing the top end of its non‑GAAP guidance. The company closed...
Privia Health Group Inc (PRVA) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Privia Health reported a robust 2025, with implemented providers rising 12.3% to 5,380 and attributed lives increasing 22.7% to 1.54 million. Practice collections grew 16.9% to $3.47 billion and adjusted EBITDA surged 38.8% to $125.5 million, delivering a 130% free‑cash‑flow conversion. The company...
TopBuild Corp (BLD) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
TopBuild reported a 5% decline in Q2 2025 sales to $1.3 billion, driven by a low‑double‑digit drop in residential volume while commercial and industrial segments grew. The company highlighted the recent Progressive Roofing acquisition, which adds roughly $215 million of second‑half sales...
Nomad Foods Ltd (NOMD) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Nomad Foods reported a strong fourth‑quarter 2020, posting 9.5% organic revenue growth and a 31.5% gross‑margin – the highest in over two years. Adjusted EBITDA rose to EUR119 million and adjusted EPS to EUR0.38, while free cash flow hit a record...
KBR Inc (KBR) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
KBR reported a solid fourth‑quarter 2020, highlighting a 20% increase in government and technology backlog and a 15% rise in adjusted EBITDA. The company emphasized its transition to Sustainable Technology Solutions, targeting over $1 billion in revenue and mid‑teens margins for...
Loar Holdings Inc (LOAR) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Loar Holdings reported record Q2 2025 sales of $123 million, a 13% year‑over‑year increase driven by commercial aftermarket, OEM and defense segments. Adjusted EBITDA rose to a record $38.3% margin, up 220 basis points, despite added public‑company costs. Management lifted full‑year...
The Great Ownership Transfer: A New Era of Business Stewardship
The United States faces an unprecedented wave of small‑business ownership transitions as baby‑boomers retire, with an estimated six million SMBs hitting the market by 2035 and over $5 trillion in enterprise value at stake. Only about one‑million firms are deemed viable for...
Enovis Corp (ENOV) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
EnPro Industries reported a strong fourth‑quarter 2025, with revenue climbing 14.3% to $295.4 million and adjusted EBITDA rising 19.2% to $69.4 million, delivering adjusted diluted EPS of $1.99, up nearly 27%. Both Sealing Technologies and Advanced Surface Technologies posted double‑digit sales growth,...
Rocket Companies Inc (RKT) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Rocket Companies forecast adjusted Q4 2025 revenue of roughly $2.1 billion, driven by the recent Redfin and Mr. Cooper acquisitions. Operating expenses are expected to rise to about $2 billion, reflecting integration costs and severance. The Redfin deal now fuels 13% of...
Fox Factory Holding Corp (FOXF) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Fox Factory reported fiscal Q4 2025 revenue of $361.1 million, a 2.3% increase, and full‑year sales of $1.47 billion, up 5.3%. Gross margin slipped to 28.3% from 28.9% amid product‑mix shifts and tariff headwinds, and the company recorded a $295 million non‑cash...
Anthropic Acquires Computer-Use AI Startup Vercept After Meta Poached One of Its Founders
Anthropic announced the acquisition of Vercept, a Seattle‑based AI startup known for its computer‑use agent Vy, and will retire the product by March 25. Vercept, which raised $50 million from investors including Eric Schmidt and Jeff Dean, joins Anthropic’s Claude Code team following a...
Clearfield’s CEO Says It Sees the Verizon/Frontier Merger as a Significant Opportunity
Clearfield CEO Cheri Beranek says Verizon's acquisition of Frontier creates a major growth opportunity for the fiber‑connectivity supplier. The combined Verizon‑Frontier network will cover over 25 million premises across 31 states, expanding demand for Clearfield’s equipment and its new NOVA platform....
Carlyle’s US Buyout Platform Set to Realize Nearly $12bn in 13 Months
Carlyle’s U.S. buyout platform is on track to realize close to $12 billion of cash proceeds within the next 13 months. The firm attributes this pipeline to a portfolio that aligns with current market demand, saying its assets are “what buyers...
John Elliott Brand Reportedly Sold to Centric, Sam Ben-Avraham
Los Angeles‑based John Elliott has been sold to Centric Brands and entrepreneur Sam Ben‑Avraham, with plans for a major relaunch later this year. The brand, once a cult favorite among athletes and influencers, saw sales and store closures after the pandemic....
Housecall Providers to Affiliate With Chapters Health System
Oregon‑based Housecall Providers has signed a definitive agreement to affiliate with Chapters Health System, extending the nonprofit’s footprint in the Pacific Northwest. The transaction is slated to close in late spring or early summer 2026, subject to regulatory clearance. The...
Post-Lanteris Acquisition, Intuitive Machines Invests $175M to Advance Satellite Capabilities
Intuitive Machines announced a $175 million equity investment following its January acquisition of Lanteris Space Systems, the former Maxar spacecraft manufacturing unit. The funding will expand the 1300 satellite platform, enhance near‑space network services, and pursue a solar‑system internet independent of...
ENGIE Buys UK Power Networks in £15bn Deal
ENGIE announced a £10.5 billion equity purchase of UK Power Networks, valuing the distribution operator at a £15.8 billion enterprise value. The acquisition gives ENGIE its second‑largest market globally and adds 192,000 km of mostly underground network serving 8.5 million customers across London and...
Alphabet-Owned Robotics Software Company Intrinsic Joins Google
Alphabet-owned Intrinsic, a robotics‑software specialist, is joining Google while remaining a distinct entity. The integration will link Intrinsic’s Flowstate platform and Vision AI model with Google DeepMind, Gemini AI models, and Google Cloud services. Earlier, Intrinsic expanded through acquisitions of...
CPP Investments Will Mull Secondaries Sales to ‘Trim Older Exposure’
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) is evaluating secondary market sales to trim its older private‑equity exposures. The fund intends to allocate roughly C$20 billion to new private‑equity commitments this year, according to global head of PE Caitlin Gubbels. By...
CD&R’s Acquisition of Sealed Air Clears Hurdles
Sealed Air shareholders voted to approve a $6.2 billion takeover by private‑equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R). The European Commission recently cleared the deal, finding no competition concerns, allowing the transaction to move toward closing pending final regulatory sign‑offs. The...
Are African Tech Startups Shifting From Blitzscaling to Strategic Acquisitions?
African tech startups are moving away from the high‑burn blitzscaling model toward strategic acquisitions as venture capital dries up. Funding peaks in 2021‑2022 gave way to shrinking mega‑rounds, a 65% jump in debt financing, and tighter follow‑on capital. In 2025,...
Why Private Equity Matters (Part Seven)
Private equity’s image as a ruthless raider is outdated; today firms focus on partnership and growth. They acquire companies through negotiated deals, often allowing sellers to retain equity, aligning incentives. While cost efficiencies remain a tool, sustainable value stems from...
Hays / Polka Dot and Hays / Millington Merger Inquiries
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened merger inquiries into Hays Travel’s proposed acquisitions of Polka Dot Travel and Millington Travel. Initial enforcement orders were served in December 2025, and the CMA set a statutory timetable that places Phase 1 decisions...
Precision Aircraft Solutions Becomes Sole Owner of Precision 321 Conversions
Precision Aircraft Solutions, an Erickson Group subsidiary, has acquired the remaining minority stake in 321 Precision Conversions from ATSG’s Cargo Aircraft Management, becoming the sole owner of the Airbus A321 freighter conversion business. The deal consolidates Erickson’s control over the...
Private Equity Still Vital to CalPERS’ Strategy Under TPA: CEO
At NEXUS 2026, CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost announced that the pension fund’s revitalized private‑equity program will operate with a degree of independence from its newly adopted total‑portfolio approach (TPA). The move signals a renewed commitment to private‑equity as a core return...
IQVIA Signs Agreement to Acquire Drug Discovery Assets From Charles River Laboratories, Expanding End-to-End Drug Discovery Capabilities
IQVIA Holdings announced an agreement to acquire five drug discovery service sites from Charles River Laboratories, adding in‑vitro capabilities, New Approach Methodologies and a small‑molecule AI platform. The assets, built on more than 20 years of data, have helped launch...
Rise of the Machines: The Data Science Unit TDR Says Gives It an Edge
TDR’s dedicated data‑science unit, launched ten years ago, now embeds machine‑learning models across the firm’s value‑creation workflow. The team builds predictive analytics to source acquisition targets, streamline due‑diligence, and monitor portfolio performance. By automating data aggregation and applying advanced algorithms,...
Lilly Bests Novo Again, Rare Disease Week Goes Regulatory, More CDC Leadership Upheaval
Eli Lilly’s obesity drug Zepbound achieved a 25.5% weight loss in a head‑to‑head Phase 3 trial, outpacing Novo Nordisk’s CagriSema and sending Novo’s shares down 20%. The FDA launched Rare Disease Week, issuing draft guidance for a new Plausible Mechanism Pathway that...
Arctic Wolf Snaps up Sevco Security to Bolster Exposure Management
Arctic Wolf announced the acquisition of Texas‑based Sevco Security, a cloud‑native exposure assessment specialist, for an undisclosed amount. Sevco’s platform, recognized as a Gartner Visionary in 2025, will be folded into Arctic Wolf’s Aurora platform to unify asset intelligence, vulnerability...
Press Release: Uber to Acquire Parking App SpotHero
Uber announced it will acquire SpotHero, the leading North American parking‑reservation platform, to embed parking services directly within the Uber app. SpotHero currently offers access to more than 13,000 garages, lots and valet locations across over 400 U.S. and Canadian...
Labcorp Expands PathAI Pact to Roll Out Digital Pathology Platform in US
Labcorp announced an expanded partnership with PathAI to deploy the AISight Dx digital pathology platform across its U.S. anatomic pathology labs and hospital sites. The AI‑enabled software will allow pathologists to scan, annotate and diagnose slides digitally, aiming to cut turnaround...
ADT Acquires Origin AI to Power AI Sensing and Ambient Intelligence for the Home
ADT announced the acquisition of Origin Wireless, operating as Origin AI, to integrate its real‑time AI sensing platform into ADT’s security and smart‑home ecosystem. Origin’s technology classifies motion and human presence without cameras, audio, or wearables, adding a privacy‑focused intelligence...
STAT+: GSK Picks up Pulmonary Hypertension Drug with 35Pharma Acquisition
GlaxoSmithKline announced a $950 million cash acquisition of 35Pharma, a privately held biotech focused on lung diseases. The deal brings the experimental compound HS235, slated to enter pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) trials, into GSK’s pipeline. PAH has become a lucrative target,...
VCs Hit Jackpot as FMCG Giants Go on D2C Acquisition Spree
Venture capital firms such as Fireside Ventures, Eight Roads Ventures and Peak XV have secured multi‑bagger exits by selling stakes in Indian D2C brands to FMCG conglomerates. USV Pharma’s Rs 1,583 crore purchase of Wellbeing Nutrition, Hindustan Unilever’s Rs 824 crore acquisition of Oziva and its...
Debtwire Middle-Market – 2/23/2026
Sponsor‑backed merger and acquisition activity surged to $165 billion in December 2025, marking the second‑largest monthly volume in the past decade, just shy of the $168 billion peak recorded in April 2021. Data from Mergermarket shows that leveraged buyouts and other sponsor‑driven deals now...
Paramount Welcomes WBD Talks, Details New Elements Of Sweetened $31-A-Share Offer
Paramount has sweetened its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, raising the cash offer to $31 per share and adding several protective clauses. The revised terms include an accelerated quarterly ticking fee, a $7 billion regulatory termination fee, and a commitment to...
Loom Games Claims “Unicorn” Crown in Record Time for Turkish Startup
Los Angeles‑based Scopely agreed to acquire a majority stake in Istanbul‑born mobile‑game studio Loom Games, valuing the company at over $1 billion through a performance‑based structure. Loom, founded in August 2025, launched its first title “Pixel Flow” in September, attracting more than 10 million...
What Does Ssense’s Rescue Deal Mean for Its Future?
Ssense, the Montreal‑based luxury e‑commerce platform valued at $4 billion in 2021, filed for bankruptcy in August 2025 after US tariff hikes and operational missteps eroded its margins. In February 2026 the Atallah brothers secured court approval to purchase the company’s...
Danaher to Buy Masimo in $9.9 Billion Deal in Diagnostics Push
Danaher announced a $9.9 billion acquisition of Masimo, a leader in pulse‑oximetry and AI‑enabled patient‑monitoring devices. The deal places Masimo as a standalone operating company within Danaher’s Diagnostics segment alongside Radiometer, Cepheid and Beckman Coulter. By adding non‑invasive sensor technology, Danaher...
HNI Corp (HNI) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
HNI Corp reported third‑quarter 2025 non‑GAAP EPS of $1.10, a 7% year‑over‑year increase, and posted a record non‑GAAP operating margin of 10.8%. Workplace furnishings sales rose 3% organically, with segment margin surpassing 12% after a 40‑basis‑point improvement. Management reaffirmed its...