A cheeky website about deals, dealmakers and anything else I find interesting. Edited by Ben Harrington. If you have a tip, want to discuss a story or have a subscription enquiry please feel free to email Betaville at [email protected]. Betaville can also be reached at Whats App, Signal or Telegram. Betaville's Twitter handle is @bharringtonw11 and you can message me via Twitter with stories.

AstraZeneca snaps up Icosavax for $1.1 billion

Tuesday, 12 December 2023, 8:39 am

Dealmaking may be a bit lacklustre at the moment but if there is one sector that is seeing a lot of activity right now it's the biotechnology industry.

The latest deal to be announced is AstraZeneca's $1.1 acquisition of Icosavax, a US-listed developer of vaccines for respitory diseases...

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The financial PR man with no name ...

Friday, 8 December 2023, 10:24 pm

Loyal readers will know that little old Betaville has to deal with well paid corporate public relations advisers on a daily basis.

These characters - also known as spin doctors, spinners and flacks - are part of any daily business hack's reporting routine. That's because when you discover a good story you often have to deal a company's PR team ahead of publication...

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KKR snaps up Smart Metering Systems for £1.4 billion

Thursday, 7 December 2023, 7:49 am

It's that time of the year where takeover deals come thick and fast.

This morning KKR has agreed a deal to purchase London-listed Smart Metering Systems, an energy infrastructure company, for £1.4 billion.

The American private equity house is offering 955p in cash for Smart Metering Systems, which is a 40pc premium to yeserday's share price close. Below is a link to the press release if you want to read all of the details of the recommended offer:..

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Abbvie purchases Cerevel Therapeutics for $8.7 billion

Wednesday, 6 December 2023, 10:49 pm

Abbvie has announced the $8.7 billion acquisition of US-listed Cerevel Therapeutics, marking its second multi-billion dollar second acquisition in the space of week.

Now, I have to admit little old Betaville is in a bit of grump about this deal announcement as I had been chasing down this story down over the last 24 hours. Grrrrrr...

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Bears maul Blackstone Mortgage Trust...

Wednesday, 6 December 2023, 5:36 pm

The big bad bear has sunk his claws into the Blackstone Mortgage Trust, the US-listed real estate finance company that originates senior loans collateralized by commercial real estate.

Muddy Waters, run by Carson Block, has mauled Blackstone Mortgage Trust in a note that his firm have just made public. For legal reasons little old Betaville can't repeat the allegations by Muddy Waters but click on the link below if you want to read the whole note:..

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Sunday review on a Monday: 888 Holdings, Playtech and Hawaiian Airlines ...

Monday, 4 December 2023, 8:26 am

Shares in 888 Holdings have leapt more than 10pc this morning following Oliver Gill's scoop in The Sunday Times this morning about a secret takeover bid from Playtech in July pitched at 156p a share.

Hat tip to the intrepid hack for digging that scoop out - for reasons I won't go into now it's getting harder and harder these days for business reporters to find genuine scoops of that ilk. Below is a link to Olly's piece:..

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THG founder builds stake in THG activist ... - Part 2

Friday, 1 December 2023, 2:43 pm

The plot thickens with Matt Moulding's stakebuilding in Kelso Group.

This morning it has emerged that Angus Monro, the former chief executive of Matalan, has also bought a 3pc stake John Goold's Kelso Group, the activist investment vehicle pushing for a strategic change at THG. Below is a link to the announcement:..

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THG founder builds stake in THG activist ...

Thursday, 30 November 2023, 9:54 am

Here is an interesting twist on the whole THG/Matt Moulding versus the stockmarket story.

Moulding, the founder of online retailer THG who has repeatedly criticised City of London investors since floating on the London market, has bought a 3.2pc in Kelso Group, which is run by the well known stockbroker John Goold. Below is a link to this morning's announcement:..

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Betaville Intelligence

UNCOOKED ALERT: Farfetch said to ... - Part 3

Wednesday, 29 November 2023, 9:55 am

It would appear little old Betaville's former employer, The Daily Telegraph, isn't just interested in takeover stories about the newspaper itself.

Slapped across the front page of today's business section is a scoop about how the founder of US-listed online fashion house Farfetch, Jose Neves, is weighing a take private of the business. Below is a link to the story, which boosted Farfetch's share by around 20pc:..

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[Disclaimer - the information on Betaville does not consitute any form of investment recommendation and is not intended to be relied upon by readers in making, or refraining from, any investment decisions].