2020 Year in Review
By the Numbers
2020 was a highly productive year for Peakview and our clients, culminating in:
- 6 closed M&A transactions
- 5 sell-side
- 1 buy-side
- 4 strategic acquirors, including 2 public companies and one international acquiror
- 2 private equity buyers, including one acquisition as a brand new platform
- 6 industry sectors: business services, energy, healthcare, industrials, manufacturing, technology
- 5 more deals currently in the marketplace; anticipating 2021 closings
- And the most important number: $178,000,000 in total transaction value for our clients
Market Observations
- The “Covid Hiatus” Impact: we had 5 deals in the marketplace in March when Covid hit in earnest. All 5 deals took a “Covid Hiatus” to assess impact in the March-June period. During H2 2020, we were able to close 4 of those deals as buyers and sellers renewed their strategic rationale and reengaged with greater urgency (the 5th deal is under LOI with an international acquiror and is expected to close in Q1 ’21).
- The “PPP Effect”: we necessarily became experts on navigating the complex process of closing transactions with an unforgiven PPP loan – which will come in handy in 2021.
- What Headlines? 2020 will forever be known for unforgettable headlines around the global pandemic, contentious election and social protesting, but the M&A market largely ignored the headlines and finished 2020 quite strong. Valuations remain robust, both equity and debt capital are plentiful, the stock market is remarkably resilient, interest rates are low, and companies continue to creatively pivot to more productive and efficient business models.
- OUR FEARLESS 2021 OUTLOOK: FULL STEAM AHEAD!