Engineering software M&A heats up
Happy Friday!
This week, yours truly teamed up with Milana Vinn to scoop that Altair Engineering, an engineering software maker with a market value of nearly $9 billion, is exploring a sale after receiving acquisition interest.
If a deal for Altair is signed in the coming weeks, it would be the latest in a series of big transactions in the industry in recent years, as engineering design software becomes a new battleground from large corporations. The AI boom has benefited a handful of large players in the sector and made them attractive acquisition targets.
Earlier this, Synopsys acquired Ansys for $35 billion, while Emerson Electric combined its industrial software business with Aspen Technology for $11 billion in 2021. Earlier this year, Schneider Electric attempted to take control of Bentley Systems, before the talks fell apart.
Troy, Michigan-based Altair is working with investment bankers to gauge interest from potential suitors. Altair's shares jumped more than 14% after our scoop. Potential buyers of Altair include rival design software makers such as Siemens, PTC and Cadence Design Systems.
Founded in 1985, Altair makes a range of software solutions, including what is referred to as computer-aided engineering software that helps engineers design, analyze and manufacture products. Its simulation software helps predict how products would work in the real world.
Elsewhere, Abigail Summerville produced a meaty (pun intended) exclusive on the Oscar Mayer sale process - Brazilian meatpacker JBS and Mexico's Sigma Alimentos are among those competing to acquire the iconic maker of hot dogs and cold cuts from Kraft Heinz.
The divestment of the popular hot-dog brand, which the sources said could fetch nearly $3 billion, would come as Kraft Heinz looks to reshuffle its portfolio to focus on more healthy food products as weight-loss drugs weigh on demand for processed foods.
Oscar Mayer has attracted interest from several potential buyers who have submitted initial bids in recent weeks. A deal is still several weeks away from being finalized if the talks are successful.
Kraft Heinz, which has a market value of nearly $43 billion, is hoping to command a valuation for Oscar Mayer equivalent to about 10 times its earnings before interest, taxes depreciation, and amortization of roughly $290 million.
Under new Chief Executive Carlos Abrams-Rivera, Kraft Heinz has reorganized its brands into three separate portfolios as part of a broader effort to boost the company's share price, which is down about 4% this year. It has underperformed the S&P 500 Packaged Foods & Meats index, which has risen about 1% during the same period.
Founded in 1883, Oscar Mayer is a household name known for its hot dogs, cold cuts, and bacon.
And finally, Svea-Herbt Bayliss reported that Legion Partners has built a stake in Five9 and is pushing for a board seat and cost cuts, making it the second activist investor to buy into the U.S. call center software firm's stock.
Legion's involvement comes several months after Anson Funds Management built its stake and began urging the company to consider a sale, Reuters reported in July.
In addition to pushing for one board seat, Legion wants the company to cut costs. The firm is run by Christopher Kiper.
The activists got involved after Zoom Video Communications -- whose $15 billion deal to buy Five9 was rejected by shareholders in 2021 -- made another bid last December, but the talks did not result in a deal.
Five9's share price has been under pressure. On Tuesday, the stock traded at $30.41, down roughly 60% this year. The company is valued at $2.3 billion.
Based in San Ramon, California, Five9 makes cloud software for call centers. It has more than 3,000 clients and generated $910.5 million revenue in 2023.
The Anson campaign is being led by Sagar Gupta who previously worked at Legion Partners.
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And here’s the best of the rest from the Reuters corporate finance file:
Private equity firm Carlyle has dropped out of a bidding process for the warship division of stricken conglomerate Thyssenkrupp, the German company said on Tuesday.
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Private equity firm Blackstone is in advanced talks to acquire minority stakes in the interstate natural gas pipelines owned by EQT Corp for about $3.5 billion, people familiar with the matter said.
U.S. trustbuster Lina Khan’s biggest victory hasn’t come in David vs. Goliath challenges against the likes of Amazon.com. Instead, it might be Thursday’s court win against the acquisition of Michael Kors owner Capri by Kate Spade owner Tapestry, which lopped $2 billion off the seller’s shares. While the deal is relatively small, the heft it adds to the Biden administration’s antitrust crusade might be enormous.
Allianz is weighing options for its Allianz Global Investors unit, including a possible merger or partial sale of the division, four people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, in a move that would give the business greater scale.
Building materials provider Quikrete has approached rival Summit Materials, which has a market value of more than $7 billion, with an acquisition offer, people familiar with the matter said.
A group of Thames Water creditors have proposed an alternative liquidity package of up to 3 billion pounds ($3.89 billion) to give the British utility more time to seek a restructuring of its debt, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.
Citigroup has promoted three senior healthcare investment bankers - Sumit Khedekar, Nishant Jadav and Michael Guarino – as part of the the bank's push to win more deal mandates in the industry, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Best, Anirban
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Anirban Sen
Editor in Charge, U.S. Mergers & Acquisitions
Reuters News
Thomson Reuters
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