As one can see from the chart below, global M&A, as we’ve reported before, is flying high!

M&A activity for the 11 months ended November 2014 is at a record high since 2011 as buyers and sellers are coming together at a very rapid pace. Our belief is that many companies and entrepreneurs want to get deals done before interest rates increase, there is a change in US President, or there is another economic or political crisis. Many people remember the depths of the Great Recession and are taking the necessary steps to ensure their companies and personal net worth are better protected from any future economic downturns.
Buyers are strengthening their companies and sellers are paying off debt, diversifying, and in some cases retiring. What are you doing to increase or protect your shareholder value?

Versailles Group is pleased to announce the publication of its first eBook, "When To Sell Your Business."

Most entrepreneurs spend more time building their businesses than planning for eventual sale. This guide is meant to assist entrepreneurs in deciding the timing for the sale of their business.

To download your copy, please follow the link at the top of the page.

M&A deal activity is continuing at a rapid pace. Global volume this year has already exceeded US$3 trillion and will likely surpass last year’s record volume.

One particularly bright spot for M&A activity has been Europe. For the first time in recent history, European M&A has expanded dramatically. For the first three quarters of 2014, this has meant nearly US$800 billion of transaction volume. By comparison, for the same time period last year, there was less than US$500 billion of transaction volume in Europe.

What is Due Diligence?

A question sellers often have is what is due diligence? Due diligence is the process that takes place after a letter of intent (LOI) is signed, but before the closing of the deal. It is a detailed investigation into the potential investment in order to verify the assets and liabilities and to make sure that the buyer understands what it is acquiring. Normally, it entails a complete review of the business, products, customers, facilities, background checks on the management, technological reviews, etc.

If the due diligence process is not comprehensive, then the buyer runs the risk of serious financial losses. It is imperative for the buyer to understand how the business operates and the potential risks before closing the deal no matter how big or small that acquisition may be. Due diligence is a way to ensure that neither party involved in the transaction was misled so the deal can be closed successfully.

Three major areas of financial due diligence
Most often the three most important areas of the financial diligence are; (i) the quality and accuracy of the financial statements and related information, (ii) the sustainability of the cash flows, and (iii) a thorough understanding of the tax issues that may arise due to a possible change of ownership. Prior to a sale, owners can significantly improve the value of their business by focusing on these three areas to make sure there are no issues.

Most buyers prefer audited financial statements; however, in the middle-market, a majority of the companies do not have audited statements, primarily due to the high cost. If a seller does not have audited financial statements, the most important thing is to have accurate financial data that is prepared in accordance with GAAP. Sloppy or inaccurate accounting data always makes buyers nervous about the value of the assets and the possibility that liabilities are under-reported.

The sustainability of the seller’s cash flows is very important to potential buyers as this information provides excellent visibility into the possible future performance of the target company. Buyers also like to know which products and services generate the highest margins and have the greatest growth potential in order to better recognize how they can integrate these products and services into their strategic plans and current product offerings. Buyers tend to pay higher multiples when there is a strong, diversified customer base from which they can grow the company.

It’s important that a seller understand that if the diligence doesn’t go well, the buyer may elect not to close the transaction or may ask for a price reduction. For that reason, sellers should make sure that their accounting records are up to date and accurate. Furthermore, to the extent possible, sellers should think about the most important parts of their business and make sure that they are ready to withstand the scrutiny of someone else’s due diligence.

The chart below shows the first six months of M&A activity for both 2013 and 2014. In all geographies, the volume, year over year, has increased.

The gradual improvement in the world’s economies is driving this increase in M&A activity and pushing multiples up. For example, across all industry sectors, the Enterprise Value to Revenues multiple, has increased from 1.17x in 2012 to 1.26x in 2013 to 1.50x in 2014.

Versailles Group is pleased to announce that it was awarded the Financial Adviser of the Year Award for the sale of Photon Technology International Inc. to Horiba Ltd.

Here is the link to the actual Press Release from Yahoo Finance.

The text of the Press Release is listed below for your convenience.

BOSTON, July 15, 2014 — Versailles Group, Ltd. (www.versaillesgroup.com) announced today that it was awarded the Financial Adviser of the Year Award for the sale of Photon Technology International Inc. (www.pti-nj.com), to Horiba Ltd. (www.horiba.com) (TSE:6856). Versailles Group acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Photon Technology International Inc. Terms were not disclosed. The transaction closed on Feb. 10.
The award was granted by UK-based AI Global Media, Acquisition International Magazine and DealFlow Source. Voted for by a global network of expert M&A professionals, advisers, clients, peers, and industry insiders, the award celebrates excellence in all areas of M&A.

The winner of this award was determined by three factors. First, voting forms were distributed to Acquisition International Magazine’s dedicated base of 53,000+ subscribers and over 150,000 individuals in its in-house database. Second, Acquisition International does substantial in-house research. Third, Acquisition International asks nominees to supply supporting documentation which they feel may cement their nominations. All of this information is used to make a determination as to which firm will receive the Financial Adviser of the Year Award.

About Versailles Group
Versailles Group, a 27-year-old Boston-based investment bank that specializes in international mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, advised Photon Technology International Inc.’s shareholders on the transaction. Versailles Group works with companies in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Asia, and South America.

About Acquisition International Magazine
Acquisition International is a monthly magazine published by AI Global Media Ltd., a publishing house that specializes in corporate finance news and reporting. AI works alongside leading industry analysts to ensure it publishes the most up to date figures and analysis. Acquisition International has a global circulation, which brings together all parties involved in deal making. In an increasingly global deal market Acquisition International Magazine is uniquely positioned to reach the deal makers that matter.

Versailles Group represented PayTrue Solutions, a payment media software company with offices in Uruguay and Brazil, in its sale to EFT Group S.A., a transaction processing services company headquartered in Santiago, Chile.

Here is a link to the actual Press Release or the text is listed below for your convenience.

BOSTON, May 28, 2013 -- Versailles Group, Ltd. (www.versaillesgroup.com) is pleased to announce that PayTrue Solutions (www.paytrue.com), with offices in Uruguay and Brazil, has been acquired by EFT Group S.A. (www.eftgroup.net). Versailles Group acted as exclusive financial advisor to PayTrue. Terms were not disclosed.

Versailles Group, a 26-year-old Boston-based investment bank that specializes in international mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, advised PayTrue’s shareholders on the transaction. Versailles Group works with companies in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Asia, and South America. The Versailles Group team was led by Donald Grava, Versailles Group’s Founder and President.

Founded in 2003, PayTrue offers a complete suite of solutions to address the various needs of the payment media industry. PayTrue’s operations focus on debit, credit, and prepaid cards, authorization of transactions, international brands, risk analysis, and fraud detection. PayTrue also provides professional services that complement its many solutions.

"PayTrue is a fascinating business in a rapidly-growing market, and it required a unique approach by Versailles Group to facilitate its successful sale" said Donald Grava, Versailles Group's Founder and President. "The acquisition of PayTrue has fulfilled the shareholders’ desire for a liquidity event, and provides EFT Group with an enormous opportunity to expand its South American operations. We are delighted to have exceeded our client’s expectations and look forward to watching EFT and PayTrue prosper."

EFT Group provides electronic transaction processing services for the finance and retail industries. EFT also offers business process outsourcing, infrastructure management, help desk, data center, maintenance, and integration services. EFT Group was founded in 1995 and is based in Santiago, Chile.

About Versailles Group, Ltd.

Versailles Group, Ltd. is a Boston-based investment bank that specializes in international mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. It provides its clients with a high level of personal attention, international experience, and professional execution. Since 1987, Versailles Group's skill, flexibility, and experience have enabled it to successfully close transactions, both domestically and internationally, in all economic environments. More information on Versailles Group can be found on its website, www.versaillesgroup.com.

Contact: Donald Grava

Media Contact: Donald Grava, Versailles Group, Ltd.

As 2012 comes to a close, we’d like to wish you season’s greetings with our best wishes for a very happy holiday!

With less than a month left in 2012, this year was an exciting year for global M&A – all regions experienced at least a 3% increase in M&A activity, except for Europe, which saw a 9% decrease. The Asia/Pacific and Latin America/Caribbean regions experienced the largest increases, 5% and 11%, respectively. The surge in activity in these two regions was primarily due to cross-border M&A whereby companies in one region seized an opportunity in another region.

As we transition into 2013, there will be new opportunities worldwide. As a great man once said, “there are no problems, only opportunities.” Some of the questions facing the world are:

How will the political and economic turmoil in Europe be resolved?

How will the Democrats and Republicans resolve the “Fiscal Cliff” issue in the United States?

Will China continue growing at a rapid pace, or will it begin approaching the “hard landing” many predict will occur?

Will GDP growth in Brazil and the other Latin American countries accelerate in 2013?

In a constantly evolving global market, challenges will always arise. However, the key lies in seizing the opportunities that present themselves worldwide to strategically position your business for not just growth, but sustained profitability. By staying ahead of the curve and actively seeking out potential avenues for expansion and development, businesses can navigate through obstacles and emerge stronger than ever. It's not just about overcoming challenges, it's about leveraging them to propel your business towards success in an ever-changing landscape.

Versailles Group is a Boston-based investment bank that specializes in international mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures.  Versailles Group’s skill, flexibility, and experience have enabled it to successfully close M&A transactions for companies with revenues between US$2 million and US$250 million.  Versailles Group has closed transactions in all economic environments, literally around the world.

Versailles Group provides clients with both buy-side and sell-side M&A services, and has been completing cross-border transactions since its founding in 1987.  

More information on Versailles Group, Ltd. can be found at www.versaillesgroup.com.

Versailles Group represented SuperMedia LLC (Nasdaq:SPMD) in its sale of Inceptor, a North American Search Engine Marketing company, to Didit.com. This is the second successful divestiture Versailles Group has completed for SuperMedia.

Versailles Group has over 25 years’ experience in completing successful transactions. As an expert in international mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, we would be happy to talk with you about how we could help your company with any M&A transactions you may be contemplating.

Here is a link, Yahoo Finance , to the actual Press Release or the text is listed below for your convenience.

BOSTON, Aug. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Versailles Group, Ltd. ( www.versaillesgroup.com ) announced today that the assets of Idearc Inceptor, LLC a provider of SEO, Paid Search Marketing and Social Media Marketing, and a wholly owned subsidiary of SuperMedia LLC (SPMD), have been acquired by Didit.com. Versailles Group acted as exclusive financial advisor to SuperMedia. Terms were not disclosed. The transaction closed on August 21st.

Versailles Group, a 25-year-old Boston-based investment bank that specializes in international mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, advised SuperMedia on the transaction. Versailles Group works with companies in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Asia, and South America.

"With Versailles Group's unique approach to Mergers & Acquisitions, we received responses on this transaction from over 200 prospective buyers in 25 different countries, said Donald Grava, Versailles Group's Founder and President. "We're excited that Didit emerged as the eventual buyer as it provides Inceptor with a number of synergies."

About Didit.com
Didit.com is a privately held industry pioneer in Search Engine Marketing and Digital Marketing founded in 1996. Didit's proprietary Maestro search and auction-based display campaign optimization technology combine with recent advances in the application of "Big Data" to SEM and display campaigns.

Didit pioneered the "Managed Technology" model of cross-medial digital campaign management for marketers and agencies, earning Didit.com both Inc. 500 and Deloitte Technology Fast 500 recognition as a rapidly growing company.

About Versailles Group, Ltd.
Versailles Group, Ltd. is a Boston-based investment bank that specializes in international mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. It provides its clients with a high level of personal attention, international experience, and professional execution. Since 1987, Versailles Group's skill, flexibility, and experience have enabled it to successfully close transactions, both domestically and internationally, in all economic environments. More information on Versailles Group can be found on its website, www.versaillesgroup.com.

Contact: Donald Grava, (617) 449-3325

Media Contact: Donald Grava, Versailles Group, Ltd., (617) 449-3325, dgrava@versaillesgroup.com

M&A in 2012 is off to an incredible start. 2,853 transactions have been announced so far this year, compared to just 599 in Q1 of 2011. The total transaction value for all deals announced year-to-date is $333 billion, whereas it only was $95 billion in Q1 of 2011. These statistics show that companies are more confident in the future of the global economy, and are beginning to use cash they accumulated over the past few years to expand through mergers and acquisitions.

Year-over-year, the Financials, Industrials, and Consumer Discretionary industries saw the largest increases in transactions on an absolute basis, whereas the Telecommunication Services, Industrials, and Materials industries saw the biggest gains on a percentage basis. As you can see from the chart below, all industries have experienced tremendous growth in the number of transactions this year versus the first quarter of 2011.

Looking at the trends from a geographical standpoint, Asia / Pacific saw the largest increases with the United States / Canada and Europe regions not far behind. The Africa / Middle East and Latin American / Caribbean regions saw the biggest gains on a percentage basis. To summarize, the year-over-year changes for all geographies are quite impressive, with each region seeing incredible growth in the number of transactions compared to one year ago.

http://www.versaillesgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/march-2012-post2.png

We expect the number of transactions, and associated transaction values, to continue to increase throughout the rest of 2012 as an increasing number of companies look to stay ahead of their competition and industry consolidations continue.