Midmarket Dealmakers’ Confidence Remains Steady: ACG Survey
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 year. The same share rates the financing environment as somewhat favorable, while none view it as very favorable or very unfavorable. Respondents cite timing and market conditions, pressure to return capital, and valuation levels as the top drivers of upcoming transactions, but flag geopolitical instability, valuation gaps, and a potential recession as primary risks. Manufacturing, technology and business services are identified as the sectors most likely to fuel deal volume, whereas retail and media‑telecom lag behind.
Vandemoortele / Délifrance Merger Inquiry
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...
Why Mergers Fail and How to Spot Trouble Early
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:...
VMO2 Owners Make Substantial Acquisition to Gain Altnet Broadband Business
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...
Sports, Influencer and Media Buying Capabilities to Drive M&A This Year
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...
Middle Market Deal Terms at a Glance – February 2026
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...
JFB and XTEND Announce $1.5B Business Combination to Establish AI-Driven Autonomous Defense Robotics Company
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...
CRH PLC (CRH) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
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 Inc (RGLD) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
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 Works Co Inc (AWK) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
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...
Nexstar-Tegna Movement
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...
Ovintiv to Divest Anadarko Assets for $3 Billion
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,...
CFO Insights: Future Standard’s McGeehin on GP M&A, Retail
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-Genhouse Tie-Up Among Several Spanning Pacific: Deals Report
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...
Greenbriar to Acquire AIT Worldwide Logistics
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 Acquires $1.9B Worth of Utility Operations and Assets From PacifiCorp
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...
Trump Justice Dept. Launches Bunk Investigation Of Netflix Merger As a Favor To Larry Ellison
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 Acquires Alliant Home Health, Palliative Care, Hospice
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 to Acquire Home Services Firm Champions Group From Odyssey
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...
Mistral Seals First Acquisition Deal with Cloud Startup Koyeb
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...
Brands Briefing: The Brands that Are Ripe for Acquisition in 2026
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...
Palo Alto Networks To Acquire ‘Agentic Endpoint’ Security Startup Koi
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 Acquires Hotel Trio Healdsburg for $38M
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...
Edwards Sued In Chancery Over $300M Heart Valve Earn-Out
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...
Welltower / Multiple Care Homes Merger Inquiries
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened a phase‑1 merger inquiry into Welltower Inc.’s recent acquisition of more than 600 care homes from Barchester, HC‑One, Aria Care and Danforth Care. The regulator has already served initial enforcement orders...
A RM11 Billion Takeover Battle Is Testing Malay Economic Clout. Malaysia PM Anwar Now Holds All the Cards
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, also finance minister, controls the state‑owned stakes that own nearly half of IJM Corporation, putting him at the centre of Sunway Group’s RM11 billion (S$3.5 billion) takeover bid. The offer, seen as hostile, combines RM1 billion in cash with...
Full Ownership For A Lone Star FM For Laukhuf
In September 2024 Cowboy Broadcasting Network announced the acquisition of KRXT‑FM, a 6 kW Class A station serving Rockdale, Texas. Stephen Laukhuf is now buying Jim Schwertner’s 50 % ownership for $262,844.09, with $225,844.09 already paid and the remaining $37,000 due by April 1,...
Schroders, InPost Deals Boost 2026 Takeover Pipeline by EUR 19bn
Asset manager Schroders and parcel‑delivery specialist InPost have signed deals that together add €19 billion to the projected 2026 European takeover pipeline. InPost’s transaction, valued at €7.8 billion, involves Advent International and FedEx and is being executed at a modest premium. Schroders’...
Orange Sounds Out Buyers for Viaccess-Orca
Orange is quietly testing the market for a sale of its video‑security subsidiary Viaccess‑Orca, appointing Oddo BHF to identify potential buyers. The move follows a similar exploratory process for its broadcast services arm Globecast and reflects a broader effort to streamline...
Why some Major Banks Are Bringing Embedded Finance In-House
Capital One is reshaping its business by bringing embedded finance capabilities in-house through two high‑profile acquisitions. The 2024 purchase of Discover gave the bank broader credit‑card reach, payment rails and consumer data, while the January 2026 acquisition of Brex adds...
Comcast & Paramount May Merge As Both Struggle With Streaming
Comcast’s Peacock and Paramount Global’s Paramount+ are both under pressure, with Peacock reporting 44 million paid subscribers but a $552 million quarterly loss, while Paramount+ reached 79.1 million subscribers and posted a $340 million profit. Analysts suggest a merger could give the two mid‑tier...
Velocity FBO Network Acquires BTR Jet Center in Baton Rouge
Velocity FBO Network, backed by private‑equity firm Tallvine Partners, announced the acquisition of BTR Jet Center at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport. The deal adds a well‑established South‑central FBO with Jet A and 100LL fueling, lounges, crew cars and concierge services to...
AirAsia Chief Says Brand Unit Is Nearing Nasdaq Backdoor Listing
AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes announced that the airline’s branding unit is close to completing a Nasdaq backdoor listing, targeting a valuation of roughly US$1.5 billion. The merger with a US‑listed vehicle is expected to be announced within two months, with the...
Private Equity Commits to Fletchers and Backs Higgs’ First Acquisition
Sun Capital has extended its ownership of serious‑injury firm Fletchers through a continuation fund, committing another four to five years of capital. The firm’s EBITDA surged from £8 m to £38 m and case volume rose 60%, prompting a large recruitment drive...
Hapag-Lloyd’s Plan to Acquire Zim Would Deepen Shipping Oligopoly
Hapag-Lloyd announced a $3.5 billion plan to acquire Israel’s Zim Integrated Shipping Services, pending regulator sign‑off. The transaction would add roughly 704,000 TEUs, pushing Hapag-Lloyd’s capacity above 3 million TEUs and placing it among the world’s five largest container lines. The deal...
Paramount Hires Ex-Trump Official to Lead Policy as Battle for WBD Heats Up
Paramount Pictures has hired former Justice Department antitrust official Rene Augustine as Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy. Augustine, who served under the Trump administration and led international antitrust matters, will report to Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim. The...
Rivalry to Scale Back Operations
Rivalry Corp., a TSXV‑listed esports betting operator, announced it will dramatically scale back operations while evaluating strategic alternatives. The board approved immediate cost reductions, including a significant workforce cut and a pause on player activity with withdrawals permitted. Rivalry is...
Sabra CEO: Skilled Nursing M&A Remains Relationship-Driven and Limited in 2026
Sabra Health Care REIT sold seven skilled‑nursing properties for $51 million in Q4, signaling a sharp pullback in nursing‑home M&A for 2026. The REIT’s pipeline will focus almost entirely on senior housing, which represents roughly 95% of its investment opportunities and...
Zscaler-SquareX Deal Boosts Zero Trust, Secure Browsing Capabilities
Zscaler announced the acquisition of Singapore‑based startup SquareX, adding its Chromium‑based browser extension to the Zero Trust Exchange platform. SquareX’s browser detection and response (BDR) technology provides real‑time threat detection inside browsers on managed and personal devices. The deal, closed...
BTG Pactual Acquires Brazilian Fintech Meutudo
BTG Pactual announced the acquisition of up to a 48% stake in Brazilian digital‑credit platform meutudo, valuing the fintech at roughly $200 million. meutudo specializes in FGTS‑backed and payroll‑deducted loans, leveraging workers' severance funds to lower interest rates. The app also...
District Court Vacates FTC Changes to Premerger Notification Rules
On February 12, a U.S. District Court in Texas vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s final rule that altered pre‑merger notification requirements under the Hart‑Scott‑Rodino Act. The rule had expanded the HSR filing form and imposed additional reporting obligations on merging firms....
Report: Savvy Games Group in Talks to Buy MOONTON Games
ByteDance is in advanced talks to sell its wholly owned studio MOONTON Games to Saudi sovereign‑wealth‑fund‑backed Savvy Games Group for roughly $6‑7 billion. MOONTON, creator of the hit mobile MOBA Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and its esports ecosystem, represents one of...
Aveanna CEO: Hospice Multiples Still Too High
Aveanna Healthcare Holdings CEO Jeff Shaner warned that hospice acquisition multiples remain excessively high, often exceeding 10x and sometimes reaching 15x‑17x. The company, which is evaluating growth options, says it will not pursue hospice deals unless valuations fall into the...
Quality Inn & Suites Kissimmee by the Lake Sold
DSH Hotel Advisors arranged the sale of the Quality Inn & Suites Kissimmee by the Lake, originally listed at $10.9 million, though the final price remains undisclosed. The firm acted as exclusive advisor for both seller JC Investments FL LLC and...
Expect the Unexpected: A 2026 Lending Outlook with WhiteHorse Capital
WhiteHorse Capital’s Pankak Gupta and Stuart Aronson forecast a cautious‑optimistic 2026 for middle‑market lending, citing modest Federal Reserve rate cuts and lingering inflation. They expect a rebound in M&A activity with narrowing valuation gaps, while new capital inflows are driving...
Mergers And Acquisitions Strategies For British SME Growth
British SMEs are turning to mergers and acquisitions to sustain growth as organic expansion slows. The piece outlines the current UK mid‑market M&A landscape, noting strong activity in technology, healthcare, manufacturing and professional services. It highlights strategic drivers such as...
Sky–ITV Talks Slow as Warner Bros Discovery Battle Reshapes Landscape
Talks between Sky and ITV over the £1.6 billion sale of ITV's Media and Entertainment division have slowed, according to Reuters sources. The deal was intended to create a top‑three UK streaming player capable of challenging global services such as Netflix...
Commission Approves UMG’s Acquisition of Downtown, Subject to Conditions
The European Commission has cleared Universal Music Group’s purchase of Downtown Music Holdings, but only after the companies agreed to fully divest Downtown’s royalty‑accounting platform Curve. The conditional approval removes UMG’s ability to access Curve’s data on rival labels, which...
Cineverse Acquires IndiCue
Cineverse announced the acquisition of ad‑tech firm IndiCue for up to $40 million, integrating its advertising and monetisation tools into the Matchpoint platform. The deal adds real‑time revenue optimisation across FAST, AVoD, CTV and other ad‑supported streaming channels. Financing combines cash,...
ServiceNow Buys Pyramid Analytics to Streamline Access to Business Intelligence
ServiceNow announced the acquisition of Israeli big‑data firm Pyramid Analytics, an deal valued at an estimated few hundred million dollars. Pyramid’s decision‑intelligence platform blends AI, traditional analytics and data preparation, and recently added generative BI capabilities that let users ask...