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March 28, 2022

Poly sold for $3.3 billion

HP Inc. to acquire Poly in all-cash transaction for $40 per share

HP Inc. (HPQ) announced a definitive agreement to acquire Poly (POLY), a global provider of workplace collaboration solutions, in an all-cash transaction for $40 per share, implying a total enterprise value of $3.3B, inclusive of Poly’s net debt.

The company said, “The acquisition accelerates HP’s strategy to create a more growth-oriented portfolio, further strengthens its industry opportunity in hybrid work solutions, and positions the company for long-term sustainable growth and value creation.

The rise of hybrid work is creating sustained demand for technology that enables seamless collaboration across home and office environments.

Approximately 75% of office workers are investing to improve their home setups to support new ways of working. Traditional office spaces are also being reconfigured to support hybrid work and collaboration, with a focus on meeting room solutions.

Currently, there are more than 90 million rooms, of which less than 10% have video capability. As a result, the office meeting room solutions segment is expected to triple by 2024.

Poly will help drive the growth and scale of HP’s peripherals and workforce solutions businesses.

Peripherals represent a $110B segment opportunity growing 9% annually, driven by the need for more immersive experiences.

Workforce solutions represent a $120B segment opportunity that is growing 8% annually, as companies invest in digital services to set up, manage, and secure more distributed IT ecosystems.

Poly’s devices, software and services, combined with HP’s strengths across compute, device management, and security, creates a robust portfolio of hybrid meeting solutions.

Poly, previously known as Plantronics, is a leader in video conferencing solutions, cameras, headsets, voice and software.

Together, HP and Poly will deliver a complete ecosystem of devices, software, and digital services to create premium employee experiences, improve workforce productivity, and provide enterprise customers with better visibility, insights, security, and manageability across their hybrid IT environments.”

HP expects the transaction to be immediately accretive to HP’s revenue growth, margins, and non-GAAP EPS at close.

With the expanded value proposition of a complete hybrid work solution, combined with HP’s scale and go-to-market capabilities, HP expects to realize substantial revenue synergies in peripherals as well as meeting room and workforce solutions.

HP will be able to cross-sell across its global commercial and consumer sales channels, while driving incremental sales from combining Poly’s products with HP’s PC portfolio.

As a result, HP expects to achieve $500 million of revenue synergies by FY25 and accelerate Poly’s revenue growth to an approximately 15% CAGR over the first three years after closing.

In addition, HP expects the transaction to improve Poly’s operating margins by approximately six percentage points from current levels by FY25, driven by scale efficiencies across supply chain, manufacturing and overhead. The transaction is expected to close by the end of calendar 2022, subject to Poly stockholder approval, required regulatory clearances, and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

HP will finance the transaction through a combination of balance sheet cash and new debt. This transaction is consistent with HP’s capital returns program target.

HP remains committed to aggressively buying back shares of at least $4B in FY22, and to returning significant capital to shareholders while continuing to invest in growth.

POLY is up $13.14 to $39.34.

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This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility.

November 4, 2021

NeoPhotonics sold for $918M

Lumentum to acquire NeoPhotonics for $16 per share in cash

Lumentum (LITE) and NeoPhotonics (NPTN) announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Lumentum will acquire NeoPhotonics for $16.00 per share in cash, which represents a total equity value of approximately $918M.

NeoPhotonics Corporation develops, manufactures, and sells optoelectronic products that transmit and receive high speed digital optical signals for cloud and hyperscale data center internet content provider and telecom networks worldwide.

Lumentum Holdings Inc. manufactures and sells optical and photonic products in the Americas, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company operates in two segments, Optical Communications (OpComms) and Commercial Lasers (Lasers).

The transaction has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

The purchase price represents a premium of approximately 39% to NeoPhotonics’ closing stock price on November 3, 2021.

Lumentum intends to finance the transaction through cash from the combined company’s balance sheet.

Related to the transaction, Lumentum will provide up to $50M in term loans to NeoPhotonics to fund anticipated growth, which may require increased working capital and manufacturing capacity.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of calendar year 2022, subject to approval by NeoPhotonics’ stockholders, receipt of regulatory approvals, and other customary closing conditions.

“With NeoPhotonics, we’re making another important investment in better serving our customers and expanding our photonics capabilities at a time when photonics are at the forefront of favorable long-term market trends. At the center of our strategy is a relentless focus on developing a differentiated portfolio with the most innovative products and technology in our industry so that we can help our customers compete and win in their respective markets.

Adding NeoPhotonics’ differentiated products and technology and innovative R&D team is consistent with this strategy and together, we will better meet the growing need for next generation optical networking solutions. We are confident this transaction will make us an even better partner to our customers, while enabling our team to deliver significant, long-term value to our stockholders. We look forward to welcoming NeoPhotonics’ talented team of employees to Lumentum,” said Alan Lowe, Lumentum President and CEO.

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October 20, 2021

Flying Prescriptions Are Coming!

Walgreens to deploy Wing drone deliveries in Dallas-Fort Worth area

In a blog post by Alphabet’s (GOOG, GOOGL) Wing, the company said, ” Today we’re unveiling a new model for drone delivery that will allow us to expand into densely-populated metropolitan areas in the United States.

Wing will stage delivery drones at retail locations; ready to fly directly to customers.

The aircraft will arrive in small containers that serve as tiny hangars, allowing each store to quickly and easily deploy a small, dedicated fleet from its parking lot, on its roof, or in small spaces adjacent to the building.

When this model launches, Walgreens (WBA) will be the first U.S. retailer to use this new approach.

Walgreens team members will process orders and load packages onto the delivery drones, and Wing will oversee operation of the delivery service.

Our first lightweight, co-located operation will be set up at a Dallas-Fort Worth area Walgreens store in its parking lot, serving parts of the city of Frisco and town of Little Elm.

In addition to the Walgreens store, Wing has teamed up with Hillwood to prepare a separate drone delivery facility within Frisco Station, an urban, mixed-used development located in Frisco.

Hillwood has a long track record supporting forward-thinking, innovative transportation initiatives across the region, most notably at its Alliance Texas development and its designated Mobility Innovation Zone.

We look forward to working with Hillwood as we deploy a facility at Frisco Station that has all the usual delivery capabilities, but will be dedicated to exploring new use cases, community demonstrations, school field trips and public tours…

In preparation for this launch, we’ve been conducting test flights since June at Hillwood’s AllianceTexas Flight Test Center, a drone testing facility in Fort Worth.

We’ll begin a small number of practice flights next week in Frisco and Little Elm, and hope to set up delivery demonstrations to get feedback from the community in the coming weeks.

In the coming months, we expect to launch a commercial service there that would be the first of its kind in a major U.S. metro.”

Wing is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. that develops technology of drone-based delivery of freight. The company completed their first real-world deliveries in 2014. The company has operations in Australia, the United States, and Finland.

In July 2018, Project Wing graduated from Google X to become an independent Alphabet company. As of January 2019, Wing began delivering take-out food and beverages out of its test facility in Bonython, Australia as part of a pilot program. In April 2019 Wing became the first drone delivery company to receive an Air operator’s certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration to allow it to operate as an airline in the USA.

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February 17, 2021

Palantir’s Bulls and Bears

Goldman Sachs upgrades the recent IPO while Citi says Sell

Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) builds and deploys software platforms for the intelligence community in the United States to assist in counterterrorism investigations and operations.

It offers Palantir Gotham, a software platform for government operatives in the defense and intelligence sectors, which enables users to identify patterns hidden deep within datasets, ranging from signals intelligence sources to reports from confidential informants, as well as facilitates the handoff between analysts and operational users, helping operators plan and execute real-world responses to threats that have been identified within the platform.

The company also provides Palantir Foundry, a platform that transforms the ways organizations operate by creating a central operating system for their data; and allows individual users to integrate and analyze the data they need in one place.

The company took the unusual route of becoming a public company by directly listing it’s shares and bypassing the brokers. Shares came public around $9 and shot up to $45 a share before pulling back. There were a number of brokers who made comments about the shares today following the company’s earnings.

Earnings

Palantir Technologies reported 4th Quarter December 2020 earnings of $0.07 per share on revenue of $322.1 million yesterday morning. The consensus earnings estimate was $0.02 per share on revenue of $300.4 million.

The company said it expects 2021 revenue of $1.42 billion or more. The current consensus revenue estimate is $1.41 billion for the year ending December 31, 2021.

Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs analyst Christopher #Merwin upgraded Palantir Technologies to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $34, up from $13. Palantir reported “strong” Q4 results and its Q1 guidance called for revenue growth of 45%, while fiscal 2021 revenue guidance was for 30%-plus, Merwin tells investors in a research note. The analyst is “encouraged” to see management guide to $4B of revenue in fiscal 2025, implying a 30% annual growth from fiscal 2020. With a growing backlog of $2.8B in deal value, there is increasing visibility into the achievability of that long-term target, says Merwin.

Further, the analyst believes Palantir’s recent efforts to modularize Foundry and add channel partners like IBM “should improve product market fit” for the commercial business in the coming quarters.

Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley analyst Keith #Weiss raised the firm’s price target on Palantir to $19 from $17, telling investors after the company’s Q4 report that Palantir’s results in FY20 showed a big expansion of existing customers, “huge leverage” in operating margins and the seeds for future distribution capability.

However, he keeps an Underweight rating on the shares as he would like to see evidence of effective investment behind the company’s opportunity to support growth and what he views as a “lofty valuation.”

Jefferies

Jefferies analyst Brent #Thill noted that Palantir reported a top and bottom line beat in Q4 along with “robust” large deal metrics and said it is targeting $4B or more in 2025 revenues, but that the stock remains under pressure due to Thursday’s lock-up expiry and the recent run-up that saw the stock up 35% year-to-date ahead of the report.

However, he views Palantir as “a highly unique story for long-term investors” given that he thinks its growth sustainability at significant scale, and “aggressive profitability ramp,” puts the stock “in rarified air” among software companies. Thill maintains a Buy rating on the stock, which he expects to “trend to $40,” his price target on Palantir shares.

RBC Capital

RBC Capital analyst Matthew #Hedberg raised the firm’s price target on Palantir to $27 from $15 and keeps a Sector Perform rating on the shares.

The company ended 2020 with a “solid” set of Q4 results while forecasting acceleration and margin improvement in Q1, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Hedberg adds however that while he is positive on Palantir’s catalysts, he remains on the sidelines due to the stock’s “full valuation”.

Citi

Citi analyst Tyler #Radke keeps a Sell rating on Palantir Technologies with a $15 price target following the company’s Q4 results.

The results featured “solid” reported revenue upside, but came with “signs of growth drivers narrowing with new customers growth still lacking and Commercial revenue missing expectations,” Radke tells investors in a research note.

The new five-year revenue target of $4B “looks high,” but ultimately may be a non-event for the stock, says the analyst. He thinks the stock is overvalued and “could be particularly volatile” into the upcoming lockup on February 18.

Insiders

Peter Thiel, Chairman, and well connected Washington insider

Several insiders have sold shares into the lockup expiry on Thursday but Peter Thiel, Chairman of the Board, reported a 5% ownership of the stock.

PLTR last traded at $28.50.

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October 28, 2020

Spotify reports tomorrow

What to watch in Spotify earnings report

Spotify (SPOT) is scheduled to report third quarter results before market open on Thursday, October 29, with a conference call scheduled for 8:00 am ET. What to watch:

1. USER METRICS: Spotify’s monthly active users, or MAUs, are a measure of its popularity and growth potential. In the second quarter, Spotify reported 299M MAUs, up 29% year-over-year and 5% quarter-over-quarter.

The company also reported 170M ad-supported MAUs, up 31% year-over-year and 4% quarter-over-quarter. In addition, the company reported that Premium Subscribers grew to 138M, up 27% year-over-year and 6% quarter-over-quarter.

Along with the report, the company said, “Early in the quarter, we observed some COVID related softness in several countries across our emerging regions. Parts of Latin America and Rest of World saw slower than expected growth in April and May as we saw lower intake, an increase in churn, and increases in payment failures from our Premium users.

Spotify is now available in Russia and most of Eastern Europe

Encouragingly, things rebounded significantly in June as we saw increased reactivations and a step down in churn. While we finished below forecast in aggregate across these regions, our strength in North America and other areas more than offset the slow start to the quarter.”

2. GUIDANCE: With its last report, Spotify guided to Q3 revenue of EUR1.85B-EUR2.05B. The company also forecast Q3 total MAUs of 312M-317M and total Premium Subscribers of 140M-144M.

3. INITIATIVES, PARTNERSHIPS: In July, Spotify launched in 13 new markets across Europe, including Russia and the Ukraine. The company also announced in July a podcast with former first lady Michelle Obama and the launch of video podcasts with select creators.

Additionally in July, Spotify signed a multi-year global license agreement with Universal Music Group, a Vivendi (VIVHY) company. In August, the company announced a multi-year deal with Riot Games, a subsidiary of Tencent (TCEHY), as its exclusive audio streaming partner for League of Legends events.

Spotify uses partnerships to expand its footprint

In September, the company launched virtual event listings on artist profiles and in the Concerts hub and also announced it was testing a new Polls feature for podcasts. Additionally in September, Spotify announced a multi-year first look partnership with Chernin Entertainment.

4. ANALYST VIEW: On Tuesday, Deutsche Bank analyst Lloyd Walmsley raised the firm’s price target on Spotify to $250 from $240 and kept a Hold rating on the shares. The analyst said he expects “solid” Q3 results for Spotify with strong monthly active user growth driven by new markets and podcast launches as well as improving churn.

Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swinburne raised the firm’s price target on Spotify to $300 from $275 and kept an Overweight rating on the shares.

Results from U.S. digital audio competitor Pandora last week were “encouraging” and suggest his current 5%-6% growth estimate for Spotify’s ad revenue could be conservative, Swinburne said. He also pointed to recent data that suggest Spotify is taking market share and evaluating price increases.

SPOT last traded at $276.70

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September 14, 2020

Arm Holdings sold for $40 billion

Nvidia to buy Arm Holdings from Softbank

Nvidia (NVDA) confirmed that it intends to buy chip design giant Arm Holdings for a total of up to $40 billion from existing owner SoftBank (SFTBY), which bought the company for $32 billion in 2016.

SoftBank will immediately receive $2 billion in cash for signing the deal. Then, it will receive another $10 billion in cash and $21.5 billion of stock in Nvidia at closing. That stake will be likely just a bit shy of 10% of the company.

Softbank bought Arm in 2016 for $32 billion

In addition, SoftBank is slated to earn $5 billion in a mix of cash and stock as a performance-based earn-out. Conditions or timing for that earn-out were not disclosed.

Nvidia buys Arm Holdings for $40 billion

Analysts’ Comments

Should Nvidia’s (NVDA) acquisition of SoftBank’s (SFTBY) ARM be allowed to proceed, it would create a “landscape-changing entity” that would combine two leading GPU and CPU architectures into a “single powerful ecosystem,” Deutsche Bank analyst Ross Seymore tells investors in a research note.

However, it this point that is likely to create the pushback from competitors and customers, says the analyst. Seymore questions whether ARM licensees would support an Nvidia acquisition saying “there could be a myriad of conflict of interest issues” whereby Nvidia could have access to competitor strategies and technologies in a variety of Nvidia-targeted markets. Seymore keeps a Hold rating on Nvidia shares.

Jefferies analyst Mark Lipacis raised the firm’s price target on Nvidia (NVDA) to $680 from $570 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares after the company announced an agreement to acquire ARM Holdings, subject to regulatory approvals. He views the deal as one that is “transformative” as it should position Nvidia to capture 80% of the ecosystem value in the data center and also unify the compute ecosystem between the edge and data center, Lipacis tells investors. Assuming the deal with Softbank (SFTBY) goes through, he thinks the merged company has a five-year EPS power of $50, said Lipacis, who also raised his “bull-case” target on Nvidia shares to $1,000.

RBC Capital analyst Mitch Steves keeps his Outperform rating on Nvidia (NVDA) after the company confirmed its acquisition of ARM Holdings last night, saying the transaction would be a positive if it can close amid the likely regulatory challenges to its completion. Steves adds that if the transaction closes, it would also be a “notable negative” for Intel (INTC), stating that Nvidia’s research and development funding would compete against Intel’s currently dominant x86 market share.

Wedbush analyst Matt Bryson made no change to his Outperform rating or $525 price target for Nvidia (NVDA) after the company and SoftBank (SFTBY) finalized an agreement whereby Nvidia will purchase ARM Holdings. While Bryson views the deal terms and expected synergies as favorable for Nvidia, the analyst believes it most likely will never be consummated unless the U.S./China relationship dynamic shifts considerably.

NVDA is up 5.8% to $514 while SFTBY is up 8.7% to $29.87.

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September 10, 2020

Virtusa sold for $2 billion

Virtusa to be acquired by BPEA for $51.35 per share in cash deal valued at $2B

Baring Private Equity Asia, or BPEA, and Virtusa (VRTU) announced the companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which funds affiliated with BPEA will acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of Virtusa for $51.35 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $2B.

Virtusa Corporation provides digital engineering and information technology (IT) outsourcing services primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia.

The companies said in a release, “The price per share to be paid in the transaction, which was unanimously approved by the Virtusa Board of Directors, represents a premium of approximately 27 percent to the closing price of Virtusa common stock on September 9, 2020, the last trading day prior to the transaction announcement, and premiums of approximately 29 percent and 46 percent to Virtusa’s volume-weighted average prices, or VWAP, for the last 30 and 60 trading days, respectively.

In addition, the price paid implies a valuation of 16.2x Firm Value / Last Twelve Months EBITDA as of June 30, 2020. On July 20, 2020, the Virtusa Board of Directors received an unsolicited proposal from an interested party to acquire Virtusa.

Following receipt of the offer, consistent with the Board’s fiduciary duties to maximize shareholder value, the Board authorized the Company and its financial advisors to engage with other potential strategic buyers and financial sponsors regarding a potential acquisition of Virtusa.

As part of this process, the Company signed non-disclosure agreements with five parties and engaged with two others.

After an independent review of the alternatives available, including the value creation opportunity through continued execution of the Company’s strategic plan, the Virtusa Board unanimously determined that the all-cash premium transaction with BPEA for $51.35 per share in cash maximizes value for Virtusa’s shareholders.

The transaction, which is expected to close in the first half of 2021, is subject to the approval of Virtusa’s shareholders, customary regulatory requirements, including approval from The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, and customary closing conditions.

The transaction is not subject to a financing condition.

The Orogen Group, which holds 108,000 shares of Virtusa Convertible Preferred Stock and whose CEO is Vikram Pandit, an independent member of the Board, has entered into a voting agreement under which it has agreed to vote all of Orogen’s Convertible Preferred Stock in favor of the transaction.

Orogen Group is a major shareholder of Virtusa

Orogen’s shares of preferred stock are convertible into 3,000,000 shares of Virtusa common stock and represent approximately 10 percent of the voting power in the Company.

The directors and executive officers of Virtusa have also entered into this voting agreement, and hold an additional approximate 5.7% of the voting power of the Company.”

VRTU closed at $40.50, last traded at $50.45.

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June 12, 2020

Bitauto taken private at $16 a share

Bitauto enters definitive agreement for going-private transaction

Bitauto (BITA) announced that it has entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Yiche Holding and Yiche Mergersub Limited, a wholly owned Subsidiary of Parent, pursuant to which the company will be acquired by an investor consortium led by Morespark Limited, an affiliate of Tencent Holdings (TCEHY) and Hammer Capital Opportunities Fund L.P. in an all-cash transaction that values the company’s equity at approximately $1.1B.

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger, each ordinary share of the company issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time will be cancelled and cease to exist in exchange for the right to receive $16 in cash without interest, and each outstanding American depositary share of the company will be cancelled in exchange for the right to receive $16 in cash without interest, except for

(a) certain Shares owned by affiliates of Tencent, an affiliate of JD.com (JD), and Bin Li, chairman of the board of directors of the company, which will be rolled over in the transaction ,

(b) Shares owned by Parent, Merger Sub, the company or any of their respective subsidiaries,

(c) Shares held by the ADS depositary and reserved for issuance, settlement and allocation upon exercise or vesting of company’s options and/or restricted share unit awards, and

(d) Shares held by shareholders who have validly exercised and not effectively withdrawn or lost their rights to dissent from the merger pursuant to Section 238 of the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands.

The Merger is currently expected to close in the second half of 2020 and is subject to customary closing conditions including the approval of the Merger Agreement by an affirmative vote of holders of Shares representing at least two-thirds of the voting power of the Shares present and voting in person or by proxy at a meeting of the company’s shareholders. those dissenting shares in accordance with Section 238 of the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands.

Bitauto Holdings Limited provides internet content and marketing services, and transaction services for the automobile industry in the People’s Republic of China.

BITA closed at $14.33.

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March 23, 2020

Microsoft acknowledges security flaw in its new Windows operating system

Microsoft says aware of new security flaw found in Microsoft Windows

Microsoft (MSFT) said it is aware of limited targeted attacks that could leverage un-patched vulnerabilities in the Adobe Type Manager Library, and is providing the following guidance to help reduce customer risk until the security update is released.

A security flaw is discovered in Windows, Stockwinners

Two remote code execution vulnerabilities exist in Microsoft Windows when the Windows Adobe Type Manager Library improperly handles a specially-crafted multi-master font – Adobe Type 1 PostScript format.

There are multiple ways an attacker could exploit the vulnerability, such as convincing a user to open a specially crafted document or viewing it in the Windows Preview pane.

Vulnerability exists on Adobe Type Manager, Stockwinners

Microsoft is aware of this vulnerability and working on a fix.

Updates that address security vulnerabilities in Microsoft software are typically released on Update Tuesday, the second Tuesday of each month.

This predictable schedule allows for partner quality assurance and IT planning, which helps maintain the Windows ecosystem as a reliable, secure choice for our customers.

The operating system versions that are affected by this vulnerability are listed below. Please see the mitigation and workarounds for guidance on how to reduce the risk.

The security flaw, which Microsoft deems “critical” — its highest severity rating — is found in how Windows handles and renders fonts, according to the advisory posted.

Although Windows 7 is also affected, only enterprise users with extended security support will receive patches. In the meantime, the advisory offered a temporary workaround for affected Windows users to mitigate the flaw until a fix is available.

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March 9, 2020

Willis Towers Watson sold for $30B in stock

Aon plc to combine with Willis Towers Watson in all-stock transaction

Aon plc (AON) and Willis Towers Watson (WLTW) announced a definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock transaction with an implied combined equity value of approximately $80B.

The combined company, to be named Aon, will be “the premier, technology-enabled global professional services firm focused on the areas of risk, retirement and health,” the companies stated.

Willis Tower Watson merges with AON, Stockwinners

Aon will maintain operating headquarters in London, United Kingdom. John Haley will take on the role of Executive Chairman with a focus on growth and innovation strategy.

The combined firm will be led by Greg Case and Aon Chief Financial Officer Christa Davies.

Under the terms of the agreement unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, each Willis Towers Watson shareholder will receive 1.08 Aon ordinary shares for each Willis Towers Watson ordinary share, and Aon shareholders will continue to own the same number of ordinary shares in the combined company as they do immediately prior to the closing.

Upon completion of the combination, existing Aon shareholders will own approximately 63% and existing Willis Towers Watson shareholders will own approximately 37% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis.

Aon anticipates that the transaction will provide annual pre-tax synergies and other cost reductions of $800M by the third full year of combination, thereby allowing the firm to continue significant investment in innovation and growth. Potential revenue synergies due to complementary capabilities are expected but not included in the synergy estimates.

The transaction is expected to be accretive to Aon adjusted EPS in the first full year of the combination with peak adjusted EPS accretion in the high teens after full realization of $800M of pre-tax synergies.

Willis Towers Watson and Aon anticipate savings of $267M in the first full year of the combination, reaching $600M in the second full year, with the full $800M achieved in the third full year.

Free cash flow accretion is expected to breakeven in the second full year of the combination with free cash flow accretion of more than 10% after full realization of synergies.

The transaction is expected to generate over $10B of shareholder value creation from the capitalized value of the expected pre-tax synergies, based on the blended 2020 price to earnings ratio of Willis Towers Watson and Aon UK on 6 March 2020, net of $2.0B in one-time transaction, retention and integration costs.

WTLW last traded at $193.13. AON last traded at $192.15.

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February 21, 2020

AVX sold for about $3.7B

AVX to be acquired by Kyocera for $21.75 per share in cash

AVX Corp. (AVX) announced that Kyocera and AVX have entered into a definitive merger agreement providing for the acquisition by Kyocera of all the outstanding shares of common stock of AVX not owned by Kyocera pursuant to an all-cash tender offer for $21.75 per share, followed by a squeeze-out merger in which all of the outstanding shares of AVX common stock not tendered in the Tender Offer will be converted into the right to receive $21.75 per share of common stock, in cash.

Kyocera currently owns approximately 72% of the outstanding shares of AVX common stock.

Following completion of the Transaction, AVX will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyocera.

Kyocera buys the rest of AVX shares that it did not own, Stockwinners

The $21.75 offer price represents a 44.6% premium over AVX’s closing price on November 26, 2019 and a 42.1%, 42.4%, and 34.9% premium over AVX’s 1-, 3- and 12- month average closing share price, respectively.

As previously announced, following receipt of a proposal from Kyocera to acquire all of the outstanding shares of AVX common stock that Kyocera does not own for a price of $19.50 in cash, the AVX board of directors appointed a special committee consisting of three independent directors of AVX for purposes of evaluating and negotiating a potential transaction with Kyocera.

Following the formation of the Special Committee, Kyocera and the Special Committee have been in discussions and negotiations regarding Kyocera’s proposal to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of AVX not owned by Kyocera.

The board of AVX, acting on the recommendation of the Special Committee, has approved the Transaction and determined to recommend that the AVX stockholders tender their shares in the Tender Offer.

The Transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is not subject to any financing condition. Kyocera has announced that it currently expects the Transaction to close in the fourth quarter of Kyocera’s fiscal year ending March 2020.

The Tender Offer will be subject to customary conditions and will not be subject to any minimum condition.

AVX is a leading worldwide manufacturer, supplier, and reseller of a broad line of electronic components, interconnect, sensing and control devices, and related products. Electronic components and connector, sensing and control products manufactured or resold by AVX are used in many types of end use products, including those in telecommunications, automotive, transportation, energy harvesting, consumer electronics, military/aerospace, medical, computer, and industrial markets.

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February 6, 2020February 6, 2020

Unisys Federal sold for $1.2 billion

SAIC to acquire Unisys Federal for $1.2B in cash

Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Unisys Federal (UIS), in an all-cash transaction valued at $1.2B, in a highly strategic and value creating transaction, the company said.

This represents a transaction multiple of approximately 10.5x CY2020 adjusted EBITDA, adjusted for the net present value of tax assets.

Unisys Federal, an operating unit of Unisys (UIS), is a provider of infrastructure modernization, cloud migration, managed services, and enterprise IT-as-a-service through scalable and repeatable solutions to U.S. federal civilian agencies and the Department of Defense.

SAIC expects to fund the $1.2B cash transaction through a combination of cash on hand and incremental debt.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of SAIC’s first quarter of fiscal year 2021, ending May 1, 2020, following customary closing conditions, including HSR regulatory clearance.

Unisys Federal sold to SAIC, Stockwinners

The transaction has been unanimously approved by SAIC’s Board of Directors. The businesses will continue to operate independently until the transaction closes.

“With the addition of Unisys Federal, SAIC will be a leading provider of digital transformation services and solutions to the federal government.

This exciting opportunity advances our strategy by building on our modernization capabilities, increasing customer access, accelerating growth and enhancing shareholder value,” said SAIC CEO Nazzic Keene.

“The financial benefits of acquiring Unisys Federal are compelling, including accretion of adjusted EBITDA margins, non-GAAP earnings per share, and cash generation.”

The transaction multiple of approximately 13x LTM 9/30/19 Adjusted EBITDA represents a significant premium to Unisys’ trading multiple.

Net proceeds are largely expected to be used to pay down debt and reduce pension obligations, thereby significantly improving Unisys’ balance sheet, its U.S. pension funded status and overall financial flexibility.

The transaction was unanimously approved by the Unisys board and is expected to close in the first half of 2020, subject to customary closing conditions. Unisys’ U.S. Federal business represents more than 1,900 associates, with approximately $689 million in revenue for the LTM period ended September 30, 2019.

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January 24, 2020

Changyou.com sold for $579M

Changyou.com enters into definitive agreement for going private transaction

Changyou.com (CYOU) announced that it has entered into a definitive Agreement and Plan of Merger with Sohu Game, an indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary of Sohu.com (SOHU), and Changyou Merger, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sohu Game, pursuant to which the company will be acquired by the Sohu Group in an all-cash transaction implying an equity value of the company of approximately $579M.

Changeyou.com sold to Sohu, Stockwinners.com

Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger, each Class A ordinary share of the company issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, other than the Excluded Shares, will be cancelled and cease to exist, in exchange for the right to receive $5.40 in cash without interest, and each outstanding American depositary share of the company, other than the ADSs representing the Excluded Shares, will be cancelled in exchange for the right to receive $10.80 in cash without interest.

The Merger Consideration represents a premium of 82.4% to the closing price of the company’s ADSs on September 6, 2019, the last trading day prior to the company’s announcement of its receipt of the “going-private” proposal, and a premium of 70.1% to the average closing price of the company’s ADSs during the 30 trading days prior to its receipt of the “going-private” proposal.

The Sohu Group intends to fund the Merger primarily with debt financing.

The Sohu Group has delivered a copy of an executed debt commitment letter to the company pursuant to which Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited, Tokyo Branch will provide, subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, an amount sufficient to fund in full the consummation of Merger and the other transactions related thereto.

The company’s board, acting upon the unanimous recommendation of a committee of independent and disinterested directors established by the board, approved the Merger Agreement and the Merger.

The Special Committee negotiated the terms of the Merger Agreement with the assistance of its financial and legal advisors.

Because the Sohu Group owns over 90% of the voting power represented by all issued and outstanding shares of the company, the Merger will be in the form of a short-form merger of Merger Co. with and into Changyou in accordance with section 233(7) of the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands, with Changyou being the company surviving the Merger.

Shareholder approval of the Merger Agreement and the Merger is not required.

The Merger is currently expected to close in Q2 of 2020. If completed, the Merger will result in the company becoming a privately-owned company wholly owned directly and indirectly by Sohu, its ADSs will no longer be listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, and the ADS program will be terminated.

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January 12, 2020

Hexcel and Woodward merge to form Woodward Hexcel

Hexcel, Woodward announce merger of equals

Woodward (WWD) and Hexcel (HXL) announced a definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock merger of equals “to create a premier integrated systems provider serving the aerospace and industrial sectors,” the companies said.

Woodward and Hexcel agree to merge, Stockwinners

Under the terms of the agreement approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, Hexcel shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 0.625 shares of Woodward common stock for each share of Hexcel common stock, and Woodward shareholders will continue to own the same number of shares of common stock in the combined company as they do immediately prior to the closing.

Hexcel and Woodward to merge, Stockwinners

The exchange ratio is consistent with the 30-day average share prices of both companies.

Upon completion of the merger, existing Woodward shareholders will own approximately 55% and existing Hexcel shareholders will own approximately 45% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis.

In connection with the transaction, Woodward is increasing its quarterly cash dividend to 28c a share.

The merger is expected to be tax free for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The combined company will be named Woodward Hexcel.

For each company’s respective fiscal year 2019 on a pro forma basis, the combined company is expected to generate net revenues of approximately $5.3B and EBITDA of $1.1B, or a 21% EBITDA margin.

The transaction is subject to the approval of the shareholders of both Woodward and Hexcel, as well as other customary closing conditions, including required regulatory approvals.

The parties expect the merger to close in the third calendar quarter of 2020, subject to satisfaction of these conditions.

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January 2, 2020

RBC Capital’s predictions for 2020

Accelerating Netflix subs, Uber profitability among RBC’s top 10 surprise list

RBC Capital analyst Mark Mahaney compiled a broader research note titled “Top Ten Internet Surprises for 2020” list, in which he assigns a “reasonable chance” of 30% or more for the following to occur against the “average internet investor” expectations of the event being improbable.

Disney loss having minimal impact on Netflix subscribers. See Stockwinners.com Market Radar to read more — RBC expects subs accelerating in 2020, Stockwinners

1) Netflix (NFLX) subscriber additions may accelerate because the company will be comping 2019’s “material price increase and a dramatic slowdown in marketing spending.
2) Google’s (GOOGL) operating margins may be flat to up as its Google Cloud becomes a smaller margin drag and the company’s Other Bets division gets greater investment after the resignation of its founders.
3) Uber (UBER) and Lyft (LYFT) achieve EBITDA profitability thanks “insurance expense leverage, driver and rider subsidies rationalization, pricing actions, and growth leverage”.
4) Amazon’s (AMZN) profitability plummets as the company continues its “aggressive investment” in shipping and fulfillment, particularly internationally, while continuing the build-out of AWS salesforce.
5) Maturing growth rates and large cash piles may see Google, Facebook (FB), and Booking.com (BKNG) become dividend payers in the internet sector.
6) Spotify (SPOT) gross margins may expand as the company concludes its music label negotiations.

RBC Capital Markets is a global investment bank providing services in banking, finance and capital markets to corporations, institutional investors, asset managers and governments globally. Locations span 70 offices in 15 countries across North America, the UK, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

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