A cheeky website about deals, dealmakers and anything else I find interesting. Edited by Ben Harrington. If you have a tip, want to discuss a story or have a subscription enquiry please feel free to email Betaville at [email protected]. Betaville can also be reached at Whats App, Signal or Telegram. Betaville's Twitter handle is @bharringtonw11 and you can message me via Twitter with stories.
There was one story that caught my eye in the British Sunday newspapers' business sections yesterday - The Sunday Times excellent scoop on Foxtons, the London-listed estate agency that it is reviled by home buyers and investors...
The mysterious short seller that targeted London-listed Babcock International is set to release a "new" report.
Boatman Capital has just warned its Twitter followers that:
"Time for The Boatman to set sail again. Look out for a new report from us soon."
Whether that's a fresh report on Babcock International, which sells engineering services to defence companies, or another company altogether remains to be seen...
It's deal mania in Britain at the moment, so it's a perfect time for analysts to speculate about more deals, especially as FirstGroup recently agreed a sale of First Student and First Transit to Nordic private equity firm EQT for $4.6 billion...
Another day, another couple of private equity buy outs on the table for London-listed companies.
This time Morgan Stanley Infrastructure has confirmed Bloomberg's overnight story about a possible offer for Augean, the hazardous waste treatment group. Below are the relevant links:..
It looks like Mike Ashley's intentions may have been lost in translation for Manager Magazin.
Frasers Group, the company the maverick entrepreneur controls, just said it has no plans to big for Hugo Boss AG. Below is the link:..
The Daily Mail's campaign against private equity industry clearly isn't putting off the buy-out barons from buying yet another UK-listed company...
Speculation is mounting Cerner Corporation, the US-listed healthcare information services provider, is a takeover target.
People following the situation have heard rumours a mystery bidder is circling Cerner with a view to buying the business.
However, the identity of the potential acquirer is unclear, said people following the situation...
Have you ever seen a UK-listed company's board recommend a cash takeover offer for a business but at the same time stress it fundamentally undervalues the business?
Well, that is what has just happened this morning at Telit Communications, the Aim-listed 'internet of things' designer that can't stop generating controversy...
Unlike some rivals Betaville gives credit where credit is due.
So, hat tip to Scott Deveau of Bloomberg for his scoop about Elliott advisers building a stake in UDG Healthcare, which recently recommended at £10.23 offer from Clayton Dubilier & Rice. Below is the link:..
Bloomberg this afternoon claims to have a "scoop" about German property group Deutsche Wohnen being involved in a major corporate transaction - a $22 billion sale to rival property giant Vonovia. Below is the link:
The French stockmarket seems to be the exciting place to be at the moment.
Now, regular readers will have seen what has happened to Solutions 30, the Paris-listed Luxembourg based outsourcer, this morning but there is another tale captivating continental investors...
Betaville notes that billionaire Johann Rupert, who controls Compagnie Financiere Richemont, has finally admitted that that he has been approached by rival Kering about a $150 billion mega merger. Below is a link to yesterday's Financial Times piece with the on the record quotes.
https://www.ft.com/content/da8f16e6-5c0a-4fd9-99a4-ade9583c55fd..
Solutions 30 has finally released its "communication" to the market and it's not looking good.
I have pasted the announcement below with the interesting and awry bits in bold. Happy reading!
MARKET INFORMATION AND RESUMPTION OF TRADING ON MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021
..
Hugo Boss shares are up over 5pc this morning following a report from a German magazine that Mike Ashley is weighing a takeover bid to buy the fashion brand outright.
Wily Ashley, the controversial billionaire owner of Newcastle United Football Club, has been building a stake in Hugo Boss for sometime but now the monthly Manager Magazin is claiming he is "in talks" to buy the whole business for over EURO 3.2 billion. Below is a link to the piece:..
The bizarre goings on at Solutions 30, the controversial France-listed Luxembourg-based outsourcer, continue, with the French regulator and Financial Times jumping onto the stock suspension story. Below is a link to Jamie Powell's (of FT Alphaville) excellent summary of the situation since Betaville last published Part 4 a week ago:..
There was a frisson of excitement around Stride, Inc yesterday after rivals at StreetInsider suggested Pearson, the FTSE 100-listed education publisher, is interested in acquiring the US-based group.
However, flaks at Pearson were quick too pour cold water on the StreetInsider tale, denying it to rival American wesbite Seeking Alpha...
Ed Hammond's Sunday mega scoop about AT&T folding its WarnerMedia unit into a joint venture with Discovery has today been officially confirmed. Below is a link the official press release:..
Chums at the Mail on Sunday dug out a decent tale about top institutional shareholders backing GlaxoSmithKline in its running battle with American hedgie Elliott Management...
[Disclaimer - the information on Betaville does not consitute any form of investment recommendation and is not intended to be relied upon by readers in making, or refraining from, any investment decisions].