From pharma to finance, dealmakers off to hottest start of year since 2000

From pharma to finance, dealmaking in 2018 is on fire around the globe.
 

Just three weeks into the year, the value of mergers announced totals $152.5 billion. That’s the highest since the $374 billion racked up in the same period during the technology deal frenzy in 2000, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. While clouds loom, bankers say the US corporate tax cut, robust economies and rising stock markets are giving executives confidence to sign off on billion-dollar transactions — and in some cases, to pay rich prices.
 

“We’re in the same Goldilocks environment that contributed to the strong finish to the year for M&A,” said Susie Scher, co-head of Americas financing for Goldman Sachs Group.
 

So far, it’s been a good year for JPMorgan, which is topping the league table of financial advisors. It’s been involved in almost $42 billion of deals. Goldman Sachs, the usual leader, is ninth. But the year has just begun, of course.
 

Executives and their financial advisers spent much of last year waiting to see how President Donald Trump’s tax proposals would play out. When the corporate tax legislation was finally agreed on in December, companies cheered the lower rates and reduced levy on bringing foreign earnings back to the US — potentially to make acquisitions.
 

“Clarity on tax reform causes companies to be able to make decisions that they perhaps had on hold last year when things were less certain,” Scher said.
 

North American companies, which fell out of favour among acquirers last year, are back on the shopping list in 2018, making up almost 60 per cent of all announced transactions so far, the data show. Dominion Energy’s acquisition of South Carolina-based Scana in a deal valued at about $14.5 billion including debt is the biggest purchase of the year so far.
 

In the insurance industry, American International Group agreed to pay $5.56 billion to purchase British reinsurer Validus Holdings, its largest standalone acquisition in 17 years. And Celgene made one of its biggest deals ever with the $9 billion acquisition of Juno Therapeutics, placing a costly bet on cutting-edge cancer treatments.
 

That transaction showed that CEOs aren’t afraid to pay up to get what they want, even with record equity markets pushing valuations higher. Celgene is paying $87 a share for Juno — 91 per cent above the company’s closing price on the last trading day before reports that the companies were in talks. That’s the third-highest premium for a deal worth $5 billion or more between US companies since 2008.
 

European targets have been less attractive, accounting for $32.4 billion in mergers so far. But after months of searching for an acquisition, Sanofi finally sealed an agreement on Monday — it’ll acquire hemophilia drugmaker Bioverativ for about $11.6 billion.
 

“Large corporates have been active thanks to stronger economic growth, well-oriented stock markets and shareholders who are receptive to transformative transactions,” said Guillaume Molinier, a managing director at Lazard, based in Paris. “The rise of activism has also been in some occasions a catalyst for M&A transactions.”
 

The 2018 acquisitions announced so far could easily be eclipsed if one of the most-anticipated tie-ups goes ahead: Shari Redstone, vice chairman of CBS, is once again pushing for a merger with Viacom Inc. to combine the two companies her family controls. Still, CEOs across industries are closely watching the Justice Department’s effort to block AT&T’s proposed $85.4 billion takeover of Time Warner. If the lawsuit, scheduled for March 19, is successful, it could deter other executives from pursuing takeovers — especially very large, headline-grabbing ones.

Important deals

• Dominion Energy’s acquisition of South Carolina-based Scana in a deal valued at about $14.5 bn biggest purchase of the year
• American International Group agreed to pay $5.56 bn to purchase British reinsurer Validus Holdings
• Celgene made one of its biggest deals ever with the $9 bn acquisition of Juno Therapeutics
• Sanofi to buy hemophilia drugmaker Bioverativ for about $11.6 bn