| To: richardred who wrote (3762) | 9/12/2014 2:41:47 AM | | From: richardred | | | | Bullseye- Second of the year. :+ ) I wonder why Yahoo took down my post on the CNVR board yesterday?
An acquisition that is possibly going to add 50 cents a shares next year by the acquiring company. IMO should be worthy of a White Knight. Holding
Conversant's shares soar after buyout deal with Alliance Data Systems
Published: Sept 11, 2014 4:56 p.m. ET
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Conversant CNVR, +0.15% soared 32% in after-hours trade Thursday, after Alliance Data Systems ADS, -2.45% announced an agreement to buy the digital marketing company in a cash and stock deal valued at $2.3 billion. The per-share offer price of $35 represents a 31% premium to where Conversant shares last traded during Thursday's regular session, at $26.71, before they were halted at 3:40 p.m. Eastern. It also matches the all-time closing high of $35 hit on May 22, 2007. Alliance Data said it expects the acquisition to add 50 cents a share to earnings in the first year, and 75 cents a share to earnings in the second year, after the merger is completed. Alliance Data shares rallied 3.6% in after-hours trade.
marketwatch.com
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| To: richardred who wrote (3763) | 9/12/2014 12:09:45 PM | | From: richardred | | | | Possible White Knight for CNVR?
What might Twitter do with $1.3 billion in cash?
Published: Sept 11, 2014 5:06 p.m. ET
Debt offering could fuel further M&A in advertising technologies
 AFP/Getty Images
Twitter continues to scoop up startups to expand its ad platform
 By
JenniferBooton
Reporter
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — For the first time since its stock-market debut in November, Twitter is raising money to support its growth.
The San Francisco–based company said Wednesday it is looking to raise as much as $1.3 billion through the sale of debt, taking advantage of historically low interest rates to capture a trove of relatively cheap cash. That sum would increase Twitter’s TWTR, -0.28% cash on hand to $3.5 billion — its highest level ever. In 2012, it boasted $2.2 billion in cash and short-term investments, up from $550 million in 2011.
So, what does this company have up its sleeve?
Companies typically pledge to spend the proceeds of their debt and equity offerings on “general corporate purposes,” but Robert Peck, managing director of SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, said Twitter likely has “more strategic uses for the proceeds.”
TimeTwitter Inc.Apr 14May 14Jun 14Jul 14Aug 14Sep 14
US:TWTR
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Those uses are likely to include M&A in such areas as video, advertising and analytics, as the company, which went public 10 months ago and remains unprofitable, looks to boost top- and bottom-line growth through advertising and content partnerships.
One idea is that Twitter, already a widely relied-upon news-gathering tool, could acquire Flipboard, a collection and curation app that boasts millions of users. Flipboard — which shares key investors to Twitter such as Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Goldman Sachs GS, +1.01% and Rizvi Traverse Management — might help monetize Twitter’s “offline” reach into categories of people who view its content without encountering its ads, Peck said. Twitter has estimated the number of offline users at two to three times its base of 271 million monthly active users.
While a Flipboard buy is purely hypothetical, Peck said it represents a potential acquisition target that would “make sense” for Twitter. Flipboard was valued at $800 million in its most recent funding round in September 2013.
Another possible scenario is that Twitter opts to sit on the cash to optimize its flexibility, enabling it to cultivate a long-term growth strategy and execute smaller-scale deals as they present themselves.
Twitter has already used a chunk of the $1.8 billion in proceeds from its initial public offering to scoop up companies for its advertising business, including the takeover of mobile-ad retargeting startup TapCommerce in June. Re/code put an estimated price tag of $100 million on that deal.
See the chart below for a list of Twitter’s acquisitions since its IPO.
Such deals have led to improvements in Twitter’s ad platform, expanding top-line growth. In June, Twitter reported a 124% increase in second-quarter sales to $312 million, largely due to a 129% increase to $277 million in ad revenue — its highest rate of year-over-year advertising growth in six quarters. (Deep Dive: Twitter needs to treat shareholders the way Facebook does.)
Of course, Twitter has no obligation to spend all the money it rakes in, and its debt offering isn’t out of the ordinary, as it joins a number of technology-industry peers, including Google GOOGL, -0.78% and eBay EBAY, +2.62% in raising money in this fashion in 2014 alone.
Twitter declined to comment further on the debt sale or prospective uses for the proceeds.
marketwatch.com |
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| To: richardred who wrote (3765) | 9/12/2014 4:31:09 PM | | From: The Ox | | | | | Nice call. We've owned CNVR/VLCK for a while, not a major position but it had been solidly in the money, as our cost was around 19. |
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| To: richardred who wrote (3626) | 9/15/2014 12:15:03 AM | | From: richardred | | | | Biz insider: Teradata part of takeover talk
Miami Twp.-based Teradata is the darling of analysts prognosticating what company Hewlett-Packard will take over in the near future.
H-P CEO Meg Whitman told analysts the $70 billion IT company is back in position to consider takeover options three years after the Autonomy disaster. That’s when HP bought Autonomy, a data-analysis company. The deal ultimately led to an $8.8 billion writedown and numerous shareholder lawsuits.
Teradata, a $7.6 billion analytics, data warehousing and marketing applications and services company that employs 10,000 workers worldwide, including more than 400 in the Dayton region, “offers a big-data platform for a bargain,” according to analysts.
Teradata has more of an “old-school” approach to big-data management, but H-P could use it as a platform to make other acquisitions and build out its own offerings, HighMark Capital’s Todd Lowenstein told Bloomberg.
In the past few months, Teradata has made several company acquisitions on its own. On July 16, Teradata acquired Revelytix, a Maryland-based company that developed the Loom metadata management system. And the next day, it bought Hadapt, a Massachusetts-based database software startup. Last week, Teradata acquired Think Big Analytics, a Mountain View, Calif.-based firm.
The recent attention Teradata is getting is not new. In April, the company was named as possible takeover target for Cisco Systems.
Asked about the takeover talk, Michael O’Sullivan, Teradata spokesman, told me his company does not comment on speculation or rumor.
HELPING VETERANS FIND JOBS
The Veteran and Military Center at Wright State University has a new office under construction in Allyn Hall, but that’s not stopping the center run by Seth Gordon from finding veterans jobs.
Gordon told Dayton B2B magazine one of the goals of the center is to help former enlisted military personnel attending WSU gain job-seeking skills. The focus of the center’s program this year is on developing career skills, such as networking.
Of WSU’s students, up to 6 percent have a military connection. Of those, nearly 700 use some type of military benefit, approximately 300 are using no benefits and about 150 are ROTC students.
Gordon said employers tell him they want to hire veterans but can’t find anybody with the skills set they need. “My point to them is you grow them. They come out of the military and you grow them with paid internships,” he said.
For more on veteran hiring, check out our next issue of Dayton B2B.
Have a business tip or insider information? Give me a call at (937) 225-0623 or email me at rich.gillette@coxinc.com
Rich Gillette is the Dayton Daily News business editor. Follow him on Twitter @richgillette
daytondailynews.com |
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| To: richardred who wrote (2993) | 9/15/2014 11:18:44 PM | | From: richardred | | | | Not much of a premium here on a huge deal- a 2% premium to its Friday closing price of $103.85
Germany's ZF to buy TRW Automotive for $12.4B
Brent Snavely , Detroit Free Press 4:24 p.m. EDT September 15, 2014
(Photo: ZF)
6 CONNECT 5 TWEET 1 LINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE
In a deal that would create the world's second largest automotive supplier, Germany's ZF Friedrichshafen agreed to buy Livonia, Mich.-based TRW Automotive for approximately $12.4 billion
Together, the two automakers have combined annual sales of more than $41 billion and about 138,000 employees. ZF Group manages its North American operations out of its Northville, Mich., office.
"The major motivation for this transaction is technology driven and to serve some markets especially in the field of electro-mobility and in the field of autonomous driving," ZF CEO Stefan Sommer said in a conference call. "The combined company has greater scale and power in the world and with combined technological know how … we expect more power, more competitiveness."
The only auto supplier larger than the potential combination of ZF Group and TRW Automotive is another German supplier, Robert Bosch.
The companies said that TRW Automotive Holdings will be a separate division within ZF -- best known as a maker of transmissions.
However, Stephanie Brinley, senior analyst for IHS Automotive, said, "I would expect to see that a lot of that activity would be combined over time. It's not going to stay separate for the long term."
The agreement has been approved by ZF's Supervisory Board and Management Board and TRW's Board of Directors. The deal is expected to close during the first half of 2015.
ZF will pay $105.60 per TRW share, a 2% premium to its Friday closing price of $103.85. The companies put the transaction's value at about $13.5 billion.
Shares of TRW closed down 81 cents, or 0.78%, at 103.04 on Monday. But so far this year, TRW's stock has increased about 40% from $73.64 on Jan. 2.
ZF CFO Konstantin Sauer said the company has received financing commitments from Citigroup and Deutsche Bank and is talking to additional banks that may become part of the deal. ZF said it expects to reduce its financial leverage significantly again in the coming years.
"We have long respected ZF as a very successful company in our industry with similar values and focus on innovation," John C. Plant, CEO of TRW said in a statement. "This transaction provides significant benefits for our shareholders who will receive a full and certain value for their shares, as well as for our employees, customers and communities."
The deal also will bring together two very different companies. ZF Group is best known for its transmissions,but also makes steering systems, axles, clutches and shock absorbers. TRW makes airbags, seat belts, steering wheels, brakes, brake systems and other electronics.
"This is a complementary — not a synergistic deal," Sommer said. "It's for me very, very important to have the best fit situation in all markets. And this is what the (automakers) require with the worldwide platforms with the shorter life cycle of cars."
usatoday.com |
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| To: richardred who wrote (3628) | 9/15/2014 11:33:19 PM | | From: richardred | | | | Danaher makes a move. Should leave Just enough room should they want to acquire BRKS- Brooks Automation. <G> Danaher was my best hypothetical TO hunter guess of BRKS.
Danaher Agrees to Acquire Swiss Dental Implant Maker
By Chad Bray September 15, 2014 4:19 amSeptember 15, 2014 11:14 am
Nobel Biocare Holding is a Swiss dental implant maker.Credit Mike Blake/Reuters
LONDON – The Danaher Corporation, an American science and technology conglomerate, said on Monday that it had agreed to acquire Nobel Biocare Holding in a deal that values the company, a Swiss dental implant maker, at about $2.2 billion.
The deal, which includes the assumption of debt, is expected to expand Danaher’s presence in the global dental industry. The combined dental business would have annual sales of nearly $3 billion, the companies said.
Nobel Biocare would operate as a stand-alone company within Danaher’s dental business, maintaining its own brand and identity, the company said.
Danaher offered to acquire all of the outstanding shares for 17.10 Swiss francs, or about $18.31, apiece. The offer represents a 23 percent premium to the company’s closing price on July 28, the day before market speculation arose about a potential deal.
“This combination will help us build a strong platform for future growth,” Henk van Duijnhoven, the senior vice president of Danaher’s dental business, said in a news release.
Nobel’s board of directors recommended that shareholders accept the offer and agree to sell their shares to Danaher. The period when shareholders can begin tendering their shares to Danaher is expected to begin on Oct. 16.
“We view Danaher as the ideal strategic partner for the sustainable development of Nobel Biocare,” Rolf Watter, the Nobel Biocare chairman, said in a news release.
The offer is subject to regulatory approval and to shareholders agreeing to sell Danaher at least 67 percent of Nobel Biocare’s outstanding shares. The offer is expected to be completed late this year or early in 2015.
Based in Zurich, Nobel Biocare provides dental implants, prosthetics and software used in planning dental surgery. The company operates in 80 markets worldwide and posted revenue of 567 million euros, or about $735 million, in 2013.
Danaher, based in Washington, provides technology products and services to a variety of sectors, including health care, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods. The company employs about 66,000 people and generated revenue of $19.1 billion in 2013.
Goldman Sachs advised Nobel Biocare’s board of directors.
Shares of Nobel Biocare were down 5.8 percent to 17.05 francs in trading in Zurich on Monday morning.
dealbook.nytimes.com
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| To: richardred who wrote (3119) | 9/16/2014 11:16:55 AM | | From: richardred | | | | New Buy today JVA -Coffee Holding Company, Inc.
FARM-Farmer Brothers worked out well for myself. JVA reported disappointing earning and the stock took a hit. IMO the reflected price at under 6 now represents some staying power till earnings improve. That reasoning based on the company's buy back program. I also like the China venture to open a coffee shop. If successful, it could maybe open the door for a poor mans Starbucks. I can only hope they hedge right going forward in coffee futures.
PR snip>"Also, during the past quarter, we purchased 99,815 shares of our own common stock at an average price of $6.59 in the amount of $657,536 under our previously announced share repurchase program pursuant to which we may purchase up to $1 million of our outstanding common stock. While we did not yet fully maximize the total dollar amount authorized by our board of directors, we continue to remain alert for future opportunities based on our evaluation of market conditions and other factors that may give rise to further repurchases," added Mr. Gordon.
P.S. Speculative appeal is also there IMO. I think Sysco or would be a good parent.
Joh. A. Benckiser to Buy Caribou Coffee for $340 Million ..
dealbook.nytimes.com
J.M. Smucker Completes Acquisition of Rowland Coffee
bloomberg.com
Mondelez and Douwe Egberts maker in coffee mega-merger
Mondelez will receive $5bn in cash and a 49pc stake in the combined business which will have $7bn of sales
telegraph.co.uk |
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| To: richardred who wrote (3570) | 9/16/2014 3:39:57 PM | | From: richardred | | | | VLCK/CNVR looks to be gone. What's left that's public in social media that not out in the outer limits? Why UNTD-United Online, Inc of coarse. IMO it fits with IDT corp. They just sold their cloud business Fabrix Systems for 95 million. Thinking about adding
What's most attractive about UNTD:
>The company remained debt free, and had cash and cash equivalents of $70.4 million, or $4.98 per diluted share, compared to $67.3 million at March 31, 2014. |
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| To: richardred who wrote (3746) | 9/16/2014 3:48:15 PM | | From: richardred | | | | RE- USEG FWIW- Well one of the family is leaving today.
8:31 am U.S. Energy announces retirement of President & COO Mark Larsen effective December 31, 2014; Larsen will remain in an advisory role during 2015 ( USEG) : The company plans to initiate a search for a Chief Operating Officer in the near term |
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