David Braun

Author's posts

The Return of the Mega Deal? Understanding Today’s Market

The top five deals announced in Q1 2015 were all well above $10 billion. In comparison to last year, the number of mega deals announced, or acquisitions over $5 billion, doubled. Last year there were 14 mega deals in the first quarter and this year there were 28. Despite the record-breaking activity of Q1 2015, …

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Endo Grows Generic Drug Business with Par Pharma Acquisition

On May 18, Endo announced it would acquire Par Pharmaceutical for $6.5 billion cash and $1.5 billion stock. The acquisition is the latest consolidation in a robust M&A market, especially in the healthcare sector. Endo has stated multiple reasons for the deal, including building its generic drug platform as well as significant operational and tax …

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Why You Don’t Need a 51% Stake to Control a Business

“I always take control, but I did not buy 51 percent. Control doesn’t have to be 51 percent. I think people get confused by that.” Marcus Lemonis comments about minority investment on Squawkbox are spot-on. When asked to elaborate, he explained, “I just document everything: full financial control, full operational control. I can have 10 …

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The ACA and Healthcare Industry M&A: What You Need to Know

The Affordable Care Act still is impacting the healthcare industry, affecting players of all sizes from doctors’ offices, hospitals and medical device companies to large pharmaceuticals. Mergers and acquisitions in the healthcare sector have doubled over the same period in 2014. According to Reuters data through April 24, a wave of mergers produced $193.9 billion …

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How to Approach the Usual Suspects in M&A

“How often do you get involved in a situation where a company is pursuing a ‘usual suspect’? And how do you handle it?” This question was asked after Capstone’s presentation on “How to Pick Top-Notch Markets” by Project Manager Matt Craft and Managing Director John Dearing at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s VALET spring meeting. …

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Why Explore Adjacent Markets?

When thinking about the best market for acquisition, many tend to focus on the market (or markets) in which they already operate. People feel very confident about what they know, for good reason– experience, past success, existing relationships, etc., but sometimes focusing on only one market means your perspective is myopic. There is little harm, …

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Have Only ONE Reason for an Acquisition

The more reasons you have to buy a company, the less you should want it. This may sound strange. After all, isn’t it best to be efficient and kill two (or more) birds with one stone? Since acquisitions are rather expensive, shouldn’t you get your money’s worth? Endless Possibilities…Zero Results It can be tempting to think …

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How Much Should You Budget for Mergers and Acquisitions?

This is a difficult question to answer. Of course your budget (in both human resources and dollars) will vary depending on your capabilities and the size of the transaction. Acquisition is a substantial task to take on so ideally you would have at least one person that is 100% dedicated to running the M&A project …

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How You Can Manage the M&A Process: Tools for Success

What tools do you use to help manage the M&A Process? I was recently asked this during our M&A Express videocast “Why You Need a Roadmap.” There are two key ways I would answer that question. First the macro view. Look at the big picture and develop — or adopt — an end-to-end process. This …

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“Where To Start Your Search for M&A Targets” — New M&A Express Videocast

How do you go about finding companies to buy? Do you begin your search by contacting a list of usual suspects? Rather than falling back on the usual suspects, consider using a truly strategic approach to finding the right company to buy. A demand-driven approach to picking acquisition targets will help increase your chances of successful M&A. …

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