Berkery Noyes’ first half 2012 report: Information Industry M&A trends

Private Equity Information Industry Merger & Acquisition Trends For First Half 2012

Financially sponsored transactions specifically within the Software portion of the Information Industry, after remaining flat throughout 2011, increased 15 percent during the last six months. Three of the top ten Software deals in first half 2012 were backed by private equity firms, together accounting for 21 percent of financially sponsored transaction value in the Information Industry.

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Media and Marketing Industry Merger & Acquisition Trends For First Half 2012

Marketing was the most active industry segment for first half 2012, accounting for 262 transactions and surpassing Internet Media in transaction volume during the last twelve months. Internet Media activity declined two percent compared to second half 2011 but remained 19 percent above its second half 2010 levels.

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Online and Mobile Merger & Acquisition Trends For First Half 2012

Although SaaS/ASP was the largest segment with 250 transactions, E-Commerce was the fastest growing segment throughout the last 12 months. M&A volume in social media marketing, examined as a subset of the E-Marketing & Search segment, increased fourfold compared to first half 2011 and 30 percent relative to the prior half year period.

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Software Industry Merger & Acquisition Trends For First Half 2012

M&A in the Consumer Software segment increased 29 percent compared to first half 2011, making it the fastest growing segment on a half-to-half year basis. Transaction volume for software that is used to analyze and manage customer data, a sub-category of the Business Software segment, increased 40 percent between 2010 and 2011. The sector remained nearly constant during the last six months, which was a 33 percent improvement over first half 2010.

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Education Industry Merger & Acquisition Trends For First Half 2012

Despite the constant overall deal flow, the Corporate and Professional Training segment experienced a 32 percent increase in transaction volume. Vista Equity Partners was the most active related buyer, acquiring Silverchair Learning Systems and Essential Learning. CAE’s acquisition of Oxford Aviation Academy, a subsidiary of STAR Capital Partners Limited, was the largest transaction in the segment and had an acquisition price of $315 million.

Financial Technology and Information Industry Merger & Acquisition Trends For First Half 2012

The median revenue multiple improved from 2.3x to 2.7x over the last six months, while the median EBITDA multiple increased from 11.4x to 16.1. The Payments segment experienced a 30 percent volume increase compared to first half 2011. Within the Payments segment, the most active associated buyer during the last two and a half years was VeriFone, a provider of point-of-sale electronic payments solutions, with six transactions.

Healthcare/Pharma Information and Technology Industry Merger & Acquisition Trends For First Half 2012

Total transaction volume in first half 2012 increased by 28 percent over second half 2011. In terms of transaction type, 27 percent of industry deals were financed by private equity, venture capital, and other investment firms. This represented a seven percent increase compared to second half 2011.