2010 M & A #s Of Interest

34% increase in cash only deals,
92% increase in stock only deals
22% increase in overall M & A activity over 2009
11% of all private equity M & A was in health care

These numbers are taken from Investment Dealers Digest May 28 2010

Deal pricing is favorable and opportunities are abundant (Packard Acquisition search results have been very strong).

It appears we are moving in the right direction although cash is still hard to find if business requirements/conditions are not close to perfect.

Public stock deal seekers will have a terrific advantage these next few years if the economy stays stable.

Your comments/stories here;

Results of Packard’s Business Climate Survey

Thanks for participating in Packard’s Business Climate Survey. We have summarized the results below:

In general, respondents are optimistic about business improving through 2010 (73.8% Agree or Strongly Agree with the statement “I believe the business climate will be better one year from now…”)

On an individual company basis, the owners are a bit less satisfied with their business cash flow since only 35.7% Agree or Strongly Agree with the statement “My business is cash-flowing well…”); and growth of their respective market (just 31.3%).

The majority (77.1%) believe they have carved out a market niche, which may contribute to the finding that 46.5% are confident that their share of that market is growing.

A whopping 80.9% of respondents are developing new products or services internally, while 23.8% are considering acquisitions or joint ventures as another path toward growth and value improvement. Just over a quarter (26.5%) are thinking about their exit strategy or end game (50.6% disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement “I am considering my exit strategy…”)

In spite of the turmoil in banking, 61.7% of respondents view their banking relationships as strong.

Thank you for participating! Our next survey will be conducted midyear.