3 Reasons Why M&A Will Continue to Thrive in 2015

In what was widely considered a banner year for M&A, 2014 was the return of gargantuan deals, largely seller-friendly transaction structures, and premium valuations. In spite of the turbulent equity markets being driven by fluctuating oil prices, a gathering storm in Europe, and uncertainty around rising interest rates, we at Clearsight are already seeing the makings of a very big M&A year. Globally, investment banks are seeing increased deal flow and expanding pipelines. Our team is already out to market with several deals that are garnering high demand and premium valuations from a number of unique buyer groups. We expect the rising M&A tide to continue through 2015, as we believe demand for niche leadership positioning, strong growth trajectories, and seasoned management teams is unlikely to dissipate. First, a few fun facts from 2014 that will continue the momentum through 2015:

• In 2014 there was $3.5 trillion worth of global M&A activity, which is up 47% from the year before
• Global private equity investments totaled at $561.9 billion. That’s the highest figure since 2007, and a 43% bump over 2013 – with 60% of 2014 buyout activity focused on add-on investments
• Venture capitalists disbursed a massive $87.8 billion (compared to $50.3 billion for 2013) via 7,731 deals
• Companies raised around $249 billion in global IPOs in 2014, which was the busiest year for new listings since 2010

So what do we expect for this year?

• There is likely to be a frenzy of activity in certain verticals, including: healthcare, energy, and technology. Clearsight had a banner year of healthcare related transactions and we expect to see even more this year.  Technology continues apace with no sign of slowdown and while the energy sector is harder to predict, one thing is clear – disruption in a regulated industry makes for a great M&A environment
• Investor interest in certain technologies is likely to grow.  Some of our favorites include: customer experience, big data, and human capital management.  Technologies that enable us to get into the minds of customers and lead them on a journey to experience and buy a product has become the goal of retailers, financial services companies and even government!  We see the market of big data continue to evolve and mature.  This year will be a great growth year for data analytics consulting businesses who leverage Hadoop and other open source technologies to deliver predictive behavior, lower costs and drive increased revenue.  Human capital technologies will continue to surge as employers seek out the best talent and retain and train individuals in a hyper competitive market.
• As seen in 2014, both private equity and strategic acquirers will drive robust market competition.  Nearly all of our processes include both strategic and financial buyers and as private equity grows increasingly aggressive in pricing in an effort to put money to work, we see strategic buyers dominating 2015.

Growth will continue to be the main driver of valuations throughout 2015. You’ve heard us say this before – the market rewards growth. Premium multiples go to the companies with a demonstrated high growth track record and robust pipeline for future growth. Growth eclipses profitability through 2015.