Hitachi Buys GlobalLogic for USD 9.6bn. A Shock to the ER&D industry

/ March 31, 2021

The Hitachi USD 9.6bn acquisition of GlobalLogic was a shock to the engineering and R&D service industry. Hitachi values GlobalLogic 37.4x its calendar 2021 adjusted EBITDA. The multiple is very high, even for a firm of the quality of GlobalLogic. Only three years ago, Apax sold its 48% stake in GlobalLogic to Switzerland-based Partners Group. At the time, the transaction valued GlobalLogic USD 2bn. Back then, the USD 2bn valuation seemed in line with the Aricent and Luxoft respective acquisitions by Altran and DXC.

DXC Turns Down Atos’ Bid as Low

/ February 6, 2021

Unsurprisingly, DXC Technology turned down Atos’ offer to acquire the firm. DXC considered it, USD 10bn, as reported by Reuters, as too low. The company considers it is going through a turn-around. Also, 16 months into the job, DXC’s CEO, Mike Salvino, believed it was too early to sell the Tysons, VA-based firm.

UPDATED: Atos Approaches DXC in a USD 10bn Transaction

/ January 7, 2021

Following a Reuters news release, European IT services vendor Atos confirmed it had submitted to the Board of DXC an unsolicited non-binding offer to acquire the firm. The offer is at a preliminary stage. Reuters estimated Atos’ offer to USD 10bn.

Jacobs Spends USD 1.8bn on PA Consulting to Keep It Independent

/ December 2, 2020

Jacobs surprised us with its intention to acquire a 65% stake in PA Consulting for USD 1.8bn (enterprise value of the stake). For those of us that have been in the industry, we know that consulting acquisitions can be risky. Think of EDS and AT Kearney, Capgemini and Ernst & Young Consulting, or IBM and PwC Consulting.

Alten Makes its Largest Acquisition Ever, in Digital

/ November 15, 2020

Alten is to make its largest acquisition, with Milan-headquartered SDG Group. SDG has revenues of EUR 76m and a headcount of 950. Its operating margin is ~10%. We estimate the price paid by Alten to ~EUR 60m.

Sweco: All Options Open for Significant M&As

/ October 27, 2020

We think Sweco has all options open for significant M&A activity. It has been five years since Sweco acquired Grontmij, bringing 6,000 employees and revenues of EUR 659m.

Accenture X Acquires A SCM SAP Specialist

/ September 16, 2020

Accenture made another acquisition for its Industry X unit. Salt Solutions is based in Würzburg, 80 miles away from Frankfurt, in Germany. It, also, has offices in Stuttgart, Dresden, and Munich. Salt is SAP-centric with a specialization in SCM and also capabilities around production systems, all around SAP.

Akka Launches a Mandatory Offer for Data Respons

/ March 10, 2020

Akka has launched a mandatory offer for Data Respons (DR) that will provide shareholders the opportunity to sell their DR shares. The company has been active on the stock markets since the end of its tender offer on February 13, raising its stake from 72.9% to 78.1%. Akka is hoping to reach 95% of shares and launch a squeeze-out offer later one.

What An Economic Recession Means to the ER&D Industry

/ March 4, 2020

The US Federal Reserve yesterday lowered “the target range for the federal funds” by 50 bps to 1%-1.25%. Although the “fundamentals of the US economy remain strong,” “the coronavirus poses evolving risks to economic activity,” communicated the Fed.

Akka Secures 64% of Data Respons’ Stock

/ February 12, 2020

After its unexpected revenue growth slowdown in Q4, Akka suffered from a disappointing result: it secured only 64% of the shares of Data Repons. Akka has received regulatory clearance from the German cartel office authority, so now has control over Data Response.

Akka Raises EUR 175m in Convertible Bonds. But Why?

/ November 28, 2019

We don’t usually comment on the financial performance of ER&D service vendors beyond their financials. But this time, this is a little bit different: Akka Technologies raised yesterday EUR 175m in convertible bonds, a significant amount for Akka, which has a market cap of EUR ~EUR 1.2bn.

Capgemini’s Acquisition of Altran Delayed by Elliott by Up to Five Months

/ November 28, 2019

Capgemini’s acquisition of Altran will be delayed by up to six months. Edge Fund Elliott has, through intermediaries, brought, the case to court. The initial ruling on December 4 will decide if the acquisition will be suspended. A final ruling will occur by end of the March at the latest.

UPDATED: Segula finalizes its outsourcing contract with PSA. Reduced scope!

/ August 30, 2019

PSA finalized its outsourcing contract with Segula, almost one year after it was announced. Looking at the details, the scope of the contract is much smaller than expected, with the people transfer initially involving 700 employees, rather than the 2,000 expected. Segula has agreed to take over the new engineers and guaranteed similar wages and benefits and also purchasing buildings and facilities.