#mergers--acquisitions

#mergers--acquisitions

U.S. shale producer Devon Energy will acquire Coterra Energy for nearly $26 billion in a combination that creates a domestic oil and gas juggernaut trailing only household names Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips in sheer production volumes, the companies announced Feb. 2. After a couple of years of rapid consolidation in the energy sector, dealmaking slowed down dramatically last year as oil prices fell when OPEC ramped up its output and the Trump administration implemented a series of tariffs worldwide.

Builders FirstSource, the largest American supplier of structural building products, quietly acquired the assets of Pennsylvania-based Pleasant Valley Homes, a wholesale manufacturer of modular homes. Lori Conrad, Senior Director of Corporate Communications for Builders FirstSource, confirmed to The Builder's Daily that the company acquired Pleasant Valley Homes' assets in November at an undisclosed price. Pleasant Valley Homes has sales of about 400 homes per year, according to Conrad, and operates in ten states in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, from Virginia to Maine.

Democratic members of the US Congress, as part of the Congressional Labor Caucus, penned a letter asking the Federal Trade Commission to "thoroughly review" the $55 billion acquisition of EA. EA confirmed the sale to the Public Investment Fund, or the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners in September, but the deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027. Before the official change of ownership, the 46 House Democrats who signed the letter to the FTC are calling for more scrutiny into the impacts of the deal.

Speaking on the Goldman Sachs Exchanges podcast on Jan. 20, ahead of his trip to Davos, Solomon described a business landscape defined by a sharp dichotomy. On one side, the macroeconomic setup for 2026 is "pretty good for risk assets and for markets," fueled by a "confluence of very stimulative actions," including monetary easing and a massive capital investment boom in AI infrastructure. On the other, executives are grappling with anxiety about inconsistent policymaking and geopolitical "noise."

Nathan's Famous, which opened as a 5-cent hot dog stand in Coney Island more than a century ago, has been sold to packaged meat giant Smithfield Foods in an all-cash $450 million deal, the companies announced Wednesday. Smithfield, which has held rights to produce and sell Nathan's products in the U.S. and Canada and at Sam's Clubs in Mexico since 2014, will acquire all of Nathan's outstanding shares for $102 each.

By late 2024, Reffkin was blunt about what he sees as Compass's core asset: listing inventory. Listing inventory remains the lifeblood of the residential real estate marketplace, he said, arguing that Compass already has a depth of inventory in many of our local markets that is unmatched. That statement matters because it reveals the company's North Star not merely recruiting or revenue, but the control point Compass believes can reshape consumer behavior and, potentially, the real estate industry.

As per the press release, the TCL-led venture will "leverage Sony's high-quality picture and audio technology, brand value and operational expertise" combined with "TCL's advanced display technology, global scale advantages, industrial footprint, end-to-end cost efficiency". Furthermore, the products will still carry Sony and Bravia branding. The new joint venture is set to operate globally, with the binding agreement set to be finalized by the end of March.

"cleaning up"

Along with the WBD shareholders, we have asked for the customary financial disclosure a board is supposed to provide shareholders when making an investment recommendation...WBD has failed to include any disclosure about how it valued the overall Netflix transaction, how the purchase price reduction for debt works in the Netflix transaction, or even what the basis is for its 'risk adjustment' of our $30 per share all-cash offer. WBD shareholders need this information to make an informed investment decision on our offer,

Paramount is suing WBD for more information, including how it's valuing its cable networks, "so that WBD shareholders have what they need to be able to make an informed decision as to whether to tender their shares into our offer," Paramount said in a letter to WBD shareholders on Monday morning.

Eight strikes and Paramount's out. Wait-isn't it supposed to be three strikes? Paramount CEO David Ellison apparently did not get the memo. Ellison received official word last week that his company's takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery had been rejected for the eighth time. It is becoming difficult not to wonder whether Ellison really should have called it quits after the third offer back in October-his last unsolicited, bungled bid before Warner CEO David Zaslav launched a bidding process for the storied studio company.

From late 2020 to the summer of 2024, Eli Lilly & Co. ( NYSE: LLY) stock was on a tear, up more than 635%, before taking a breather and then heading higher. The past couple of years have been a transformative time for the Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical giant, with substantial financial growth driven by its innovative medicines and GLP-1 drugs, significant regulatory successes, and continued investment in its pipeline and manufacturing capabilities. Meanwhile, it has struggled to meet overwhelming demand and faces intense competition in the weight-loss space.

Chinese officials are looking into whether Meta Platforms Inc.'s acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Manus violated regulations, an initial review that could hinder the deal down the road if officials determine wrongdoing. Regulators have begun a review of the transaction unveiled in December, including possible national security implications, people familiar with the matter said. Worth more than $2 billion, the deal will be assessed for its consistency with relevant laws and regulations, Ministry of Commerce spokesman He Yadong said at a regular briefing.

The markets are posting a dizzying performance after clinching record highs earlier this week. Technology deals and AI advancements are bullish catalysts, but that sentiment is failing to show up in the three of the major stock market indices today, which are mixed out of the gate. Most of the sectors of the economy are trading in the green today with the exception of tech stocks, which are down 1%, weighed down by the likes of Nvidia ( Nasdaq: NVDA), Apple ( Nasdaq: AAPL)

For years, Tracy and her team at Townsend have built a reputation as experts in title insurance, and have succeeded by putting their customer needs first, said Stewart Division President Robyn Dinsdale. This acquisition is a win for our customers in southwest Florida as the same trusted team and exceptional service they know remains now backed by the financial strength of a 132-year-old company, utilizing our expertise and technology to deliver faster, more efficient closings. We will be stronger together.

Cisco is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire Israeli cybersecurity company Axonius for approximately $2 billion, according to sources speaking to Calcalist. The potential acquisition fits into Cisco's broader strategy of investing heavily in strengthening its enterprise security offering in recent years. However, Axonius denies that negotiations are actually taking place. Axonius was previously valued at $2.6 billion and operates in the field of cyber asset management, a market segment that is becoming increasingly important as organizations try to get a grip

SoftBank said it will acquire digital infrastructure investor DigitalBridge for about $4 billion. The Japanese conglomerate said it is doubling down on building the data centers, connectivity, and power needed to support AI at a global scale. "As AI transforms industries worldwide, we need more compute, connectivity, power, and scalable infrastructure," said Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group. The deal underscores SoftBank's push to control more of the physical infrastructure behind AI as competition for computing resources intensifies.

SoftBank will soon announce an agreement to acquire DigitalBridge. According to sources, talks with the digital infrastructure investor are at an advanced stage. The Japanese group could announce the deal as early as this week. Reuters has not yet been able to independently confirm this information. It became clear in early December that SoftBank was in talks with DigitalBridge. A source confirmed to Reuters at the time that SoftBank was interested in the company because of its portfolio,