A cheeky website about deals, dealmakers and anything else I find interesting. Edited by Ben Harrington. If you have a tip or want to discuss a story please feel free to email Betaville at ben@betaville.co.uk. 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.
The deal confirmations are coming thick and fast despite the uncertainty.
Indeed, you might recall that little old Betaville published an UNCOOKED Alert on Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc - the US-listed the US-listed aerospace, defence and real estate company - just over ten days ago. Below is the link:..
Payment companies are in the headlines this Sunday but not necessarily for similar reasons...
Betaville is in another grump.
That's because it would appear rivals, friends and former colleagues on the business sections have sided decided to ignore the fact little old Betaville smoked out Blackstone's £3 billion bid for Signature Aviation yesterday morning.
What is going on?..
It would appear Signature Aviation, and its highly paid advisers at JP Morgan and Tulchan Communications have decided to ignore the fact that little old Betaville published an UNCOOKED ALERT this morning about the potential deal.
In today's confirmation statement (see the link below) there is a simple reference to "movement in its share price" and no reference to Betaville's scoop (see the link below)...
Signature Aviation, the UK-listed aviation services company, is at the centre of bid speculation.
People following the situation have heard rumours about the possibility of a takeover bid for, or stakebuilding in, Signature Aviation.
One person following the situation suggested the acquirer could be one of America's largest private equity firms while another person said they heard rumours the potential offeror could be a hedge fund that carries out outright takeover bids...
Three private equity firms are said to be in the running to buy Wolseley UK from FTSE 100-listed Ferguson.
People following the situation said Clayton Dubilier & Rice, Epiris and HIG Capital are competing in the final round of the Wolseley auction.
Final round bids for Wolseley are due in the next few days, said these people.
It's thought Wolseley, one of Britain's biggest building merchants, could change hands for between £400 million and £600 million...
Solutions 30, the under siege Paris-listed outsourcing company, collapsed almost 40pc today to close at around EURO 9.1.
So, clearly the company's statement from earlier in the week alleging all sorts failed to reassure investors, who are likely to have been spooked by Carson Block's Muddy Waters wading in.
Below is a link to the FT's report on this bizarre tale:..
The shenanigans at Telit Communications continue unabated, with Dbay this morning saying it has decided not to make an offer for the 'internet of things' company after all.
Dbay, one of the Aim-listed company's largest shareholders, also said it won't back a 250p a share all stock offer from Switzerland's U-blox, which has also been stalking Telit. Below is the link:..
And finally Midwich Group confirmed last week's RARE Alert about the company's acquisition of Dubai-based NMK Group. Below is the link:
Apologies - I hadn't noticed that the venerable Wall Street Journal were claiming the "scoop" with a story about Vista Equity Partners buying Pluralsight for $3.5 billion late last night. Below is the link:
Another hour, another confirmation for little old Betaville.
This time it has emerged Vista Equity Partners, the private equity firm controlled by Robert Smith, has bought Pluralsight, the US-listed digital education business, for $3.5 billion.
In case you don't recall, Betaville Intelligence reported Pluralsight was a takeover target for Vista in early November and also published a follow up last week. Below are the links:..
Quelle Surprise - Electronic Arts has had a 604p a share cash offer recommended by the board of Codemasters, whose shares are up over 20pc this morning.
Now, readers wouldn't have been too surprised to learn about this morning's counterbid as on Friday Betaville publihsed an UNCOOKED Alert on the topic. Below is the link:..
The Sunday newspapers were given a "free" mega story when AstraZeneca announced its $40 billion takeover of US-based Alexion Pharmaceuticals on Saturday. So, naturally I thought they would all lead their respective business section front pages on the biggest pharma deal of the year carried out by a FTSE 100-listed company...
Whoa! Alexion Pharmaceuticals, the US-listed pharmaceuticals stock, has just sold itself to FTSE 100-listed AsztraZeneca for $39 billion in cash and stock.
Now, in case you don't recall little old Betaville revealed several weeks ago that Alexion Pharmaceuticals was back in play with multiple articles on Betaville Intelligence. I will paste them below:..
Oh look - Midwich has just announced it is an advanced discussions to buy NMK Electronics (see the link below).
Solutions 30's stock has now been suspended!
Jamie Powell over rival site FT Alphaville has rather good summary of the lead up to the suspension, so do give it a read when you have a moment. I have pasted a link to his piece below:
https://www.ft.com/content/414d4275-1c13-4a0b-ae33-92b00bb85da2 ..
[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].