The Mergersight Group

JP Morgan has agreed to purchase InstaMed, signifying its biggest deal since the financial crisis. This deal comes as rivals like Goldman Sachs begin more aggressively investing in traditional commercial banking services, seeking to win investment banking mandates by pitching clients on bundles of services. Read more at: https://www.ft.com/con…/afcd75d8-78ad-1 1e9-bbad-7c18c0ea0201

In an attempt to meet the fast-growing demand for plant-based foods, Pret A Manger, the UK food-to-go chain, is in talks to buy rival sandwich business Eat and transform its stores into vegetarian outlets. Read more at: https://www.ft.com/con…/5b5302f4-77cf-1 1e9-bbad-7c18c0ea0201

After immense pressure from Brussels, Thyssenkrupp abandoned its plan for a merger with India's Tata Steel. Despite Thyssenkrupp's expectation of losses in 2019, the firm's new strategy is perceived as a move to "get the business back to growth" resulting in a 27% rise in its shares. Read more at: https://www.ft.com/con…/3a21213c-730c-1 1e9-bbfb-5c68069fbd15

Drug pricing, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity and clinical trial news were major pharmaceutical trends in 2018, and the industry is poised for another year of regular dealmaking in 2019. In the latest example of pharmaceutical firms paying a shocking premium to get its hands on a promising biotechnology company, Roche, the Swiss drugs group, has won a two-way race to acquire Spark Therapeutics, Inc. for $4.8bn. Read more at: https://www.mergersight.com/reports

A week after Occidental's $55bn hostile bid for Anadarko, in an attempt to stop Anadarko's takeover by Chevron, Warren Buffett backs the bid and pledges to invest $10bn in the new Occidental preferred shares. Read more at: https://www.ft.com/con…/144b75ec-6b47-1 1e9-a9a5-351eeaef6d84

A year after the announcement of Asda's acquisition by Sainsbury's, CMA -UK's competition regulator- blocked the deal between the second and third largest supermarket chain. According to CMA, this would lead to higher prices and less choice for UK shoppers in an already highly consolidated market. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/gkJ8RDV
This development had been pointed out as a risk factor by our team last year. Read more about the deal at: https://lnkd.in/gZSpKy8

In 2018, cryptocurrency fever fueled semiconductor growth thanks to heightened spending on advanced technological infrastructures for mining. In 2019, however, it appears that chips in autonomous vehicles and virtual reality headsets will be the main drivers of semiconductors growth. In order to diversify its product offerings until these technologies make a pronounced impact on the markets, Renesas has decided to acquire Integrated Device Technology (IDT). Read more at: https://www.mergersight.com/reports

After doing six deals in the past 13 years in Japan, KKR -one of the largest private equity funds- identifies Japan as the country with the best value today. Mr. George Roberts, one of its founders, feels "more comfortable investing in Japan than China" and points at Shinzo Abe's administration as one of the reasons. Read more at: https://www.ft.com/con…/0806a34c-5e7c-1 1e9-b285-3acd5d43599e

The recent acquisition of Middle-Eastern rival Careem marks a fundamental strategic shift for Uber, as the soon-to-go-public company previously sought to spin-off its underperforming subsidiaries and focus on its core markets, in an attempt to reach profitability before its IPO. Management believes that Uber’s largest acquisition so far will grant the firm a dominant position in the region and increase the firm’s value in the long-term.
Read more here: https://www.mergersight.com/reports

In the most significant US consolidation move since 2014, Chevron, the second-largest US oil and gas company, has agreed a $50bn deal to buy Anadarko Petroleum, one of the country’s leading independent producers. The acquisition is expected to deliver cost and capital savings worth $2bn a year and establish Chevron as a fourth “ultramajor” oil group. Read more at https://www.ft.com/con…/b674c5e4-5d0a-1 1e9-9dde-7aedca0a081a

Two months after the announcement of Fiserv’s $22bn merger with First Data, US financial services provider FIS launched a $43bn bid on British payments processing rival Worldpay to create a fintech services juggernaut. The deal comes at a heated period in the financial technology sector which is consolidating with rapid intensity as global payments are expected to reach new heights of $3 trillion in annual revenues by 2023.
Read more at: https://www.mergersight.com/reports

Kellogg has sold parts of its North American snacks business, including brands such as Keebler and Amos and Murray’s cookies, for a sum of $1.3bn. Why has Kellogg decided to sell these well-performing and profitable business portions?
Read more about the deal here: https://www.ft.com/con…/bf4d2ce6-547d-1 1e9-a3db-1fe89bedc16e

Having had a long history of collaboration and joint innovation, Nvdia announced to acquire Mellanox for 6.9bn dollars. But will the American technology company succeed in integrating Mellanox‘ networking chip operations with their own datacenter market of high-performance computing? Read more at: https://www.mergersight.com/reports

Centene, a US health insurer, will acquire WellCare for $17bn, as the string of megadeals in the healthcare sector continues. But will consolidation in healthcare improve care for patients?
Read more about the deal here: https://www.ft.com/con…/00b0a05e-507e-1 1e9-b401-8d9ef1626294

Online food delivery is all the rage now, and Dutch food delivery service provider Takeaway.com knows it best. In a strategic attempt to ride the wave of technology sweeping the European restaurant sector, it is acquiring the German company Delivery Hero. The combined entity has big plans for the future but must overcome significant industry hurdles to achieve them.
Read more at: https://www.mergersight.com/reports

Blackrock, a leading global asset manager, is acquiring eFront, an analytics company, from Bridgepoint for $1.3bn. The acquisition represents Blackrock’s desire to advance its provision of analytics to the global investment industry.
Read more about the deal here: https://www.ft.com/con…/1ca95628-4c52-1 1e9-bbc9-6917dce3dc62

Fidelity National Information Services plans to acquire Worldpay, the largest payments processor in the UK, for $43bn. The deal exemplifies the extensive growth in online and card payments as part of the digital revolution, which has been a driver of deals in the payments industry.
Read more about the deal here: https://www.ft.com/con…/5bdec340-494c-1 1e9-bbc9-6917dce3dc62

Italian coffee and chocolate behemoth Illy has acquired Prestat, the luxury UK chocolatier, which made £7m is sales last year and is an official supplier of the UK royal family. The move will allow Illy to achieve a wider network of distribution but does the acquisition foreshadow more takeovers in the luxury food market?
Read more about the deal here: https://www.ft.com/con…/14390958-4710-1 1e9-b168-96a37d002cd3