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The deal tape

A precedent transactions set answers one question: what did somebody actually pay for a company like this one. Every row here is a US public target that filed a merger proxy or a going-private statement since 2020, with the offer per share, the premium to the unaffected price and the enterprise value multiples read from the filing itself rather than bought from a feed. Choose a sector, an industry code and a size band, and the quartiles above the list are the answer for that cut.

What it is not. Private-company deals, non-US targets and any transaction where no proxy was required leave nothing to read, so none of them are here. Neither are minority stakes or asset sales. Where a cross-check failed, the row still appears and says why, and it is held out of every median and quartile so one bad reading cannot move a number you would quote.

What this cut was bought at

Each measure counts the readings that survive its own cross-checks. Fewer than 4 is a coincidence, not a market.

MeasureDeals25thMedian75th
EV / LTM EBITDA4708.2x12.7x19.1x
EV / LTM revenue6970.9x1.9x3.6x
Premium to unaffected price90219%31%49%
Premium to 30-day VWAP15615%31%48%

Read the EBITDA multiple against the revenue multiple before you use either. Where they disagree sharply the target was priced on growth rather than earnings, and the EBITDA line is the one that will not survive a second question.

Deals by year of announcement
0651292009: 7 deals, 1 clean on every measure200972010: 85 deals, 16 clean on every measure2010852011: 92 deals, 46 clean on every measure2011922012: 111 deals, 64 clean on every measure20121112013: 111 deals, 71 clean on every measure20131112014: 114 deals, 50 clean on every measure20141142015: 117 deals, 57 clean on every measure20151172016: 117 deals, 63 clean on every measure20161172017: 114 deals, 51 clean on every measure20171142018: 123 deals, 62 clean on every measure20181232019: 118 deals, 59 clean on every measure20191182020: 92 deals, 43 clean on every measure2020922021: 129 deals, 62 clean on every measure20211292022: 96 deals, 54 clean on every measure2022962023: 91 deals, 43 clean on every measure2023912024: 94 deals, 59 clean on every measure2024942025: 104 deals, 47 clean on every measure20251042026: 58 deals, 25 clean on every measure202658
Clean on every measure In doubt on one measure or both
Median EV / LTM EBITDA by sector
Healthcare: 18.8x median across 49 dealsHealthcare18.8xn=49Technology: 18.2x median across 96 dealsTechnology18.2xn=96Financials: 17.7x median across 11 dealsFinancials17.7xn=11Real Estate: 17.2x median across 20 dealsReal Estate17.2xn=20Business Services: 13.2x median across 27 dealsBusiness Services13.2xn=27Industrials: 12.9x median across 73 dealsIndustrials12.9xn=73Utilities: 10.8x median across 37 dealsUtilities10.8xn=37Materials: 9.7x median across 22 dealsMaterials9.7xn=22Other: 9.5x median across 19 dealsOther9.5xn=19Energy: 9.5x median across 22 dealsEnergy9.5xn=22Consumer & Retail: 9.5x median across 74 dealsConsumer & Retail9.5xn=74Media & Telecom: 9.4x median across 20 dealsMedia & Telecom9.4xn=20
Deals by sector
Financials: 316 dealsFinancials316Technology: 287 dealsTechnology287Healthcare: 256 dealsHealthcare256Industrials: 189 dealsIndustrials189Consumer & Retail: 157 dealsConsumer & Retail157Energy: 106 dealsEnergy106Real Estate: 106 dealsReal Estate106Business Services: 96 dealsBusiness Services96Media & Telecom: 82 dealsMedia & Telecom82Utilities: 66 dealsUtilities66Materials: 59 dealsMaterials59Other: 53 dealsOther53
Deals by buyer type
Financial sponsor: 159 dealsFinancial sponsor159Strategic: 1773 dealsStrategic1773Management / founder: 3 dealsManagement / founder3Controlling holder: 10 dealsControlling holder10Acquisition vehicle: 0 dealsAcquisition vehicle0Unclassified: 1193 dealsUnclassified1193
Deals by enterprise value
Under $250m: 603 dealsUnder $250m603$250m to $1bn: 391 deals$250m to $1bn391$1bn to $5bn: 488 deals$1bn to $5bn488$5bn to $20bn: 226 deals$5bn to $20bn226Over $20bn: 53 dealsOver $20bn53Not computed: 12 dealsNot computed12
Deals by industry code
Business Services & Software: 229 dealsBusiness Services & Sof…229Depository Institutions: 208 dealsDepository Institutions208Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals & Allied Products: 176 dealsChemicals, Pharmaceutic…176Electronics & Electrical Equipment: 129 dealsElectronics & Electrica…129Instruments, Medical Devices & Optical Goods: 97 dealsInstruments, Medical De…97Holding & Other Investment Offices: 82 dealsHolding & Other Investm…82Oil & Gas Extraction: 76 dealsOil & Gas Extraction76Industrial Machinery & Computers: 66 dealsIndustrial Machinery & …66Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services: 66 dealsElectric, Gas & Sanitar…66Communications: 64 dealsCommunications64
TargetAcquirerIndustryEVEV / EBITDAEV / revenuePremiumFiling
Everi Games Holding Inc.
2014-09-08 · Public merger · $36.50 a share
Multimedia Games Holding Company, Inc.
Strategic
Consumer & Retail$981m10.5x4.5x
31%
DEFM14A
All cash
Bank of Kentucky Financial Corp
2014-09-05 · Public merger · $9.40 a share
Held out of the multiples: consideration includes stock: the cash figure is not the price
BB&T Corporation
Strategic
Financials$19mn.a.n.a.
30%
DEFM14A
Includes stock
Teledyne Bolt, Inc.
2014-09-03 · Public merger · $22.00 a share
Teledyne Technologies Incorporated
Strategic
Industrials$167mn.a.n.a.
27%
DEFM14A
All cash
SC Merger Sub LLC
2014-08-30 · Public merger · $10.50 a share
Held out of the multiples: consideration includes stock: the cash figure is not the price
Select Income Reit
Strategic
Real Estate$2.1bn34.1x11.8x
n.a.
DEFM14A
Includes stock
XRS Corp
2014-08-29 · Public merger · $5.60 a share
Amundsen Holdings, LLC
Strategic
Industrials$50m7.8x0.9x
8%
DEFM14A
All cash
Corgenix Medical Corp/Co
2014-08-27 · Public merger · $0.27 a share
Centennial Medical Holdings, Inc.
Strategic
Healthcare$12m17.4x1.1x
n.a.
DEFM14A
All cash
Burger King Worldwide, Inc.
2014-08-26 · Public merger · $65.50 a share
Held out of the multiples: consideration includes stock: the cash figure is not the price
Tim Hortons Inc.
Strategic
Consumer & Retail$25bn39.6x24.1x
30%
39% to VWAP
DEFM14C
Includes stock
Peregrine Semiconductor Corp
2014-08-22 · Public merger · $12.50 a share
Murata Electronics North America, Inc.
Strategic
Technology$373mn.a.1.9x
63%
DEFM14A
All cash
International Rectifier Corp /de/
2014-08-20 · Public merger · $40.00 a share
Infineon Technologies AG
Strategic
Technology$2.3bn14.0x2.0x
n.a.
DEFM14A
All cash
Fortegra Financial Corp
2014-08-11 · Public merger · $10.00 a share
Tiptree Operating Company, LLC
Strategic
Financials$200mn.a.0.6x
43%
DEFM14C
All cash
Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II, Inc.
2014-08-05 · Public merger · $7.75 a share
Held out of the multiples: consideration includes stock: the cash figure is not the price
NRF Healthcare Subsidiary, LLC
Strategic
Real Estate$2.6bn15.9x12.0x
n.a.
DEFM14A
Includes stock
Peoples Federal Bancshares, Inc.
2014-08-05 · Public merger · $21.00 a share
Held out of the multiples: consideration includes stock: the cash figure is not the price
Independent Bank Corp.
Strategic
Financials$190mn.a.n.a.
15%
DEFM14A
Includes stock
Nb&T Financial Group Inc
2014-08-04 · Public merger · $7.75 a share
Held out of the multiples: consideration includes stock: the cash figure is not the price
Peoples Bancorp Inc.
Strategic
Financials-$11mn.a.n.a.
n.a.
DEFM14A
Includes stock
Symmetry Medical Inc.
2014-08-04 · Public merger · $7.50 a share
TecoStar Holdings, Inc.
Strategic
Healthcare$434mn.a.1.1x
n.a.
DEFM14A
All cash
Bally Technologies, Inc.
2014-08-01 · Public merger · $83.30 a share
Scientific Games Corporation
Strategic
Technology$5.1bn14.2x4.2x
38%
DEFM14A
All cash
Family Dollar Stores Inc
2014-07-27 · Public merger · $59.60 a share
Held out of the multiples: consideration includes stock: the cash figure is not the price
Dollar Tree Inc.
Strategic
Consumer & Retail$6.6bn8.3xn.a.
28%
DEFM14A
Includes stock
LIN Media LLC
2014-07-24 (filed) · Public merger · $27.82 a share
Held out of the multiples: consideration includes stock: the cash figure is not the price
Media General, Inc.
Strategic
Media & Telecom$2.2bn11.0x4.0x
n.a.
DEFM14A
Includes stock
QR Energy, LP
2014-07-23 · Public merger · $21.62 a share
Breitburn Energy Partners LP
Strategic
Energy$1.3bn5.3x2.6x
25%
DEFM14A
All cash
Intermountain Community Bancorp
2014-07-23 · Public merger · $2.29 a share
Held out of the multiples: consideration includes stock: the cash figure is not the price
Columbia Banking System, Inc.
Strategic
Financials-$7mn.a.n.a.
12%
DEFM14A
Includes stock
International Game Technology
2014-07-15 · Public merger · $13.69 a share
Held out of the multiples: consideration includes stock: the cash figure is not the price
GTECH S.p.A.
Strategic
Other$5.1bn8.4x2.4x
n.a.
DEFM14A
Includes stock
Medical Action Industries Inc
2014-06-24 · Public merger · $13.80 a share
Owens & Minor, Inc.
Strategic
Healthcare$306m36.9x1.1x
n.a.
DEFM14A
All cash
SQBG, Inc.
2014-06-24 · Public merger · $11.20 a share
Held out of the multiples: consideration includes stock: the cash figure is not the price
SBG Universe Brands, LLC
Strategic
Consumer & Retail$329m25.7x12.1x
n.a.
DEFM14C
Includes stock
Georgia-Carolina Bancshares, Inc
2014-06-23 · Public merger · $8.85 a share
Held out of the multiples: consideration includes stock: the cash figure is not the price
State Bank Financial Corporation
Strategic
Financials$47mn.a.n.a.
n.a.
DEFM14A
Includes stock
Integrys Holding, Inc.
2014-06-22 · Public merger · $18.58 a share
Held out of the multiples: consideration includes stock: the cash figure is not the price
Wisconsin Energy Corporation
Strategic
Utilities$4.5bn5.6x0.7x
17%
8% to VWAP
DEFM14A
Includes stock
Measurement Specialties Inc
2014-06-18 · Public merger · $86.00 a share
TE Connectivity Ltd.
Strategic
Industrials$1.3bn19.0xn.a.
n.a.
DEFM14A
All cash

How to use a set like this

Cut to the narrowest set that still holds eight or ten deals, then quote the range rather than the median. An interviewer who asks where software takes out will accept a spread and press on a single number, because the single number implies a precision the set does not have. Say which deals sit at each end and why: the top of a range is usually a contested auction or a strategic buyer with synergies, the bottom a controlling holder buying in the minority.

Premiums move with the reference price, not only with the deal. A bidder quotes the period that flatters the offer, so read the premium to the unaffected close beside the premium to the thirty-day average and notice when they diverge.

What each column means

Enterprise value.
Offer per share times shares outstanding, plus net debt at the last balance sheet before the merger agreement. It is blank where either piece was missing, and those rows are in the “not computed” band rather than in a size they never earned.
Premium.
The offer against the unaffected price, which is the last close before the deal became known. Where the filing states a premium to the thirty-day volume-weighted average, that is shown next to it.
Deal type.
A take-private is bought by an affiliate, which is what triggers the Schedule 13E-3 and the fuller disclosure that comes with it. A public merger is an arm’s-length buyer, disclosed through the merger proxy.
In doubt.
A cross-check the reading could not satisfy: an equity value far from the fee-table figure, a multiple outside any sane band, or consideration that is partly stock so the per-share cash figure is not the price. The row stays visible, and it is set aside only for the measures the doubt reaches. A cash-and-stock deal cannot price a multiple and still states a premium the filing itself computed, so it counts in one and not the other.

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