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Transactions UK
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May 02, 2024
Freshfields-Led Novartis Inks $1.75B Cancer Drug Co. Buyout
Novartis AG said Thursday it has agreed to buy U.S. radiopharmaceutical company Mariana Oncology in a transaction worth up to $1.75 billion, as the Swiss pharmaceutical giant moves to bolster its precision nuclear medicine portfolio.
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May 02, 2024
Shell To Buy Back $3.5B Worth Of Shares
Shell PLC said Thursday it will reward its shareholders with $3.5 billion in share buybacks over the next three months, as the energy giant reported a rise in profits to $7.7 billion for the first quarter of the year.
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May 02, 2024
ING Kicks Off €2.5B Share Buyback With Q1 Results
Dutch multinational bank ING said Thursday that it will buy back up to €2.5 billion ($2.7 billion) of its shares to streamline its capital-to-stock ratio, as it announced strong financial results for the first quarter of the year.
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May 02, 2024
Adhesives Biz Diploma Buys Sealings Specialist For £38M
Diploma PLC, a specialty fasteners and adhesives company, said Thursday it has acquired sealings firm PAR Group for approximately £38 million ($47.6 million).
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May 02, 2024
DLA Piper Leads Bar Group On Sale Talks With Rival Chain
Revolution Bars Group PLC said on Thursday that it has held discussions for a potential takeover by U.K. rival Nightcap PLC.
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May 01, 2024
Autonomy CEO's Atty Says Judge 'One-Sided' Against Client
A Steptoe LLP partner representing former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch in his criminal fraud jury trial accused the judge overseeing the case of making comments to the jury that are "one-sided" in a way that prejudices the defense.
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May 01, 2024
BBVA Makes €12B Offer For TSB Parent Sabadell
Banking giant BBVA on Wednesday said it has proposed to buy Banco de Sabadell for approximately €12 billion ($12.8 billion) in an all-share deal to create one of Europe's largest financial bodies with more than €1 trillion in assets.
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May 01, 2024
CMA Worries DJs Might Pay More If Equipment Makers Merge
The antitrust regulator of the U.K. on Wednesday said that DJ equipment maker AlphaTheta's proposed acquisition of audio technology company Serato could increase costs for DJs in the country to keep partygoers entertained.
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May 01, 2024
Gov't To Pay £19K For Worker Status Error
An employment tribunal has ruled that the government owes a company director £19,522 ($24,371) after the Insolvency Service rejected his redundancy payment claims and mistakenly concluded that he wasn't an employee.
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May 01, 2024
Norton Rose-Led Touchstone Bids £24.1M For Rival
Touchstone Exploration said Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire a rival oil and gas company for approximately £24.1 million ($30 million) in a bid to scale its business in Trinidad and Tobago, with guidance from Norton Rose and Pinsent Masons.
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May 01, 2024
UK Safety Biz Halma Acquires Testing Tech Firm For £44M
Halma PLC said on Wednesday that it has snapped up MK Test Systems Ltd., an electrical testing technology company, for £44 million ($55 million) as it continues to splurge cash on mergers and acquisitions.
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April 30, 2024
Ex-Autonomy VP Says CEO Lynch Told Him To Lie To Investors
A former Autonomy business development executive testified Tuesday that CEO Mike Lynch directed him to lie to a hedge fund investor about prepaid royalty deals that boosted the company's upfront revenue numbers, saying at Lynch's criminal fraud trial that it was hard to say no to the "big boss."
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May 07, 2024
Kingsley Napley Hires M&A Pro From Deloitte
Kingsley Napley LLP has hired a partner from Deloitte LLP as it seeks to expand its corporate practice and its focus on mergers and acquisitions despite the slowdown in the U.K. deals market.
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April 30, 2024
Oil Co. Claims Nigeria In For Windfall From $11B Win Legal Bill
An oil and gas company urged a London appellate court on Tuesday to change the currency for Nigeria's legal costs from a battle over an $11 billion arbitration award due to bribery and fraud, arguing the West African state would profit from exchange rate fluctuations.
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April 30, 2024
Morrisons, MFG Close £2.5B Petrol Station Deal
Morrisons said Tuesday it has closed the sale of its 337 petrol station forecourts and 400 electric vehicle charging points to an independent forecourt operator in a £2.5 billion ($3.18 billion) transaction advised by five law firms including Pinsent Masons LLP.
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April 30, 2024
Garrigues-Led BBVA Eyes Deal For Rival Spanish Bank
Spanish banking giant BBVA confirmed Tuesday it is eyeing a merger with Banco de Sabadell SA for an undisclosed amount.
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April 30, 2024
Backing For Concord's $1.5B Hipgnosis Bid Falls
Support for music rights company Concord Chorus' $1.5 billion bid for rival Hipgnosis Songs Fund Ltd. dropped among the latter's shareholders on Tuesday, after private equity giant Blackstone swooped in with an improved $1.6 billion offer.
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April 30, 2024
UAE-Backed Firm Walks Away From Telegraph Deal, Eyes Sale
RedBird IMI said Tuesday that it will ditch its takeover of Telegraph Media Group and sell the business as the Abu Dhabi-backed private equity firm added that its plans are "no longer feasible," citing a push to ban foreign ownership of British media groups.
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April 30, 2024
HSBC To Return Another $3B To Shareholders After Strong Q1
British banking giant HSBC said Tuesday that it plans to initiate a buyback program of up to $3 billion to reward its shareholders after having a profitable first quarter, following the $2 billion buyback it completed earlier in the year.
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April 30, 2024
UK Pension Deal Market Sees Surge In Smaller Transactions
The number of pension deals worth less than £100 million ($125 million) rose 10% in 2023, according to data released on Tuesday by Aon PLC, as doubts grow over the need for a state-backed consolidator of retirement savings plans.
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April 30, 2024
Medical Device Biz Hologic To Buy UK Rival For $310M
Hologic Inc. has agreed to buy Endomagnetics Ltd., a developer of breast cancer surgery technology, for approximately $310 million, as the U.S. medical company moves to expand its presence in the women's health sector.
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April 30, 2024
Satellites Biz SES To Buy Rival Intelsat For $3.1B
SES SA said Tuesday that it will buy rival operator Intelsat SA for $3.1 billion to create a European satellite giant to compete with Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
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April 29, 2024
'I Don't Want To Try That Case,' Judge Tells Mike Lynch's Atty
The California federal judge overseeing Autonomy founder Michael Lynch's fraud trial over claims he duped HP into paying an inflated $11.7 billion for his company pushed back Monday against an attempt by Lynch's lawyer to introduce evidence of events that took place after the acquisition, saying, "I don't want to try that case."
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April 29, 2024
Conglomerate Aspo To Pay $43M For Swedish Chemical Biz
Aspo PLC said on Monday a subsidiary has agreed to buy Swed Handling AB, a chemical distributor based in Sweden, for approximately 473 million Swedish kronor ($43.3 million or £34.5 million) up front, as the Finnish conglomerate seeks to expand its presence across the Nordic region.
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April 29, 2024
Bruin Capital Buys Turf Management Co. PlayGreen
Sports-focused private equity shop Bruin Capital, advised by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, announced on Monday that it is acquiring a majority stake in PlayGreen BV Inc., the Netherlands-based holding company that owns turf management company Stadium Grow Lighting.
Expert Analysis
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EU Antitrust Rules Set To Pose Challenges To US Businesses
With stark differences between U.S. and European Union antitrust regimes, and potential for the forthcoming EU guidelines to turbocharge the commission's appetite for intervention, it is important that U.S. businesses with activities in the region take note of the reforms, say Andrea Pomana and Sarah Wilks at Mayer Brown.
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German Competition Law May Herald New Enforcement Trend
The recent amendment to the German Act against Restraints of Competition is expected to significantly expand the powers of the German Federal Cartel Office, and could signal a global trend toward greater direct intervention by national competition authorities and political interference in competition law, say lawyers at Simmons & Simmons.
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How The OECD Global Tax Proposal Could Affect M&A
Following agreement on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Pillar Two proposal to introduce a global minimum tax, domestic implementation is expected to have a significant impact on international M&A transactions, with financial modeling, deal structuring, risk allocation and joint venture arrangements likely to be affected, say lawyers at Freshfields.
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A Look At German And French Merger Control Trends In 2023
Merger control statistics from the first half of 2023 in Germany and France — key merger control jurisdictions with strict enforcement and sophisticated analysis tools — highlight trends on the length and number of investigations by the respective authorities, say Laurence Bary and Clemens Graf York von Wartenburg at Dechert.
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UK Shares-Tax Proposals Offer Long-Awaited Modernization
The U.K. government's recent consultation on the introduction of a new tax on transactions in securities raises detailed legal and practical issues, but the prospect of a single digital stamp tax offering both streamlined legislation and administration will be welcomed, say Zoë Arnautov and Mark Sheiham at Simmons & Simmons.
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EU Illumina-Grail Fine Cools Cos.' Merger Control Approach
The European Commission's recent record-breaking fine on Illumina for acquiring Grail without approval underscores its tough stance on merger control enforcement, showing that companies in Europe need to be vigilant in complying with regulatory requirements, say Salomé Cisnal de Ugarte and Raphaël Fleischer at King & Spalding.
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EU Case Shows Wide Approach To Blocking Telecom Mergers
The EU court's recent judgment in Commission v. CK Telecoms may make it more challenging to secure clearance for telecom and other companies pursuing mergers, illustrating its broad approach to mergers that risk harming competition without creating a dominant position, say Dominic Long and Christopher Best at Allen & Overy.
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PR Perspectives: Getting Merger Communications Right
As the recent Allen & Overy and Shearman Sterling deal announcement demonstrates, controlling the narrative is the priority when merger discussions begin, so law firms need to consider their stakeholder base and the best communication channels for each segment, ready to adapt to the audience group's needs, say Ben Girdlestone and Bethany Durkin at Byfield.
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Trustees Should Take Caution After UK Pension Tap Plan
The U.K. government's recent plan to boost technology startups by tapping into pension sector funds may risk the hard-earned savings of members, so trustees need to be mindful of the proposals in light of their fiduciary duties, say Beth Brown and Riccardo Bruno at Arc Pensions.
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Report On UK Investment Act Offers Welcome Insights
The U.K. government's recent report on the National Security and Investment Act's first full year of operation is to be applauded for disclosing more information on the act's notification system than was required, enabling a better understanding of what has taken place and what the next year may hold, say Andrea Hamilton and Ajal Notowicz at Milbank.
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Preparing For M&A Under The Foreign Subsidies Regulation
The EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation introduces requirements that companies operating in the region must consider in M&A transactions, and any foreign financial contributions received by a target should be checked during the due diligence stage, with specific provisions for commission approval if a notification requirement is triggered, say Hendrik Viaene and Stéphane Dionnet at McDermott.
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Important Generative AI Considerations In M&A
The recent surge of interest in generative artificial intelligence and its use of machine learning algorithms means there are novel concerns as well as inherent risks for those engaging in M&A activity, and acquirers should pay careful attention to a target’s scope of ownership and licensing rights, say attorneys at Davis Polk.
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Pension Trustee Case Could Lead To Fossil Fuels Divestment
While the recent Court of Appeal case McGaughey v. Universities Superannuation Scheme attempts to link fossil fuel investment by trustees to significant risk of financial detriment, it is concerning that two out of 470,000 scheme members could be permitted to bring a claim without ensuring that other members are represented, says Anna Metadjer at Kingsley Napley.
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Green Loans May Be Hungary's Path To Sustainable Financing
Fueled by a rising trend in the use of green loans, Hungary is making impressive progress in its journey toward achieving a net-zero future, although the development of social and sustainability-linked loans is still a work in progress, say Gergely Szalóki and Bálint Bodó at Schönherr.
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Tackling Global Inflation Is A Challenge For Antitrust Agencies
Recent events have put pressure on antitrust agencies to address the global cost-of-living crisis, but the relationship between competition and inflation is complex, and with competition agencies’ reluctance to act as price regulators, enforcement is unlikely to have a meaningful impact, say lawyers at Linklaters.