Mergers and Acquisitions Q1 Recap

The volume and value of disclosed U.S. Mergers and Acquisitions deals declined compared to Q1 2015, but the number of deals closed marked the third highest Q1 in the last 7 years.

IPO activity also dried up in the first quarter, where only 8 companies raised approximately $700 million in capital, compared to 32 companies raising $6.8 billion in capital during Q4 2015.

Number of Closed U.S. M&A Deals

• Deal volume in the U.S. and Canada was down approximately 22% in Q1 2016 compared to the same period in 2015.
• Deal Value for the quarter was also down approximately 2% compared to Q1 2015.
• The transaction that headlined the quarter was Royal Dutch Shell's acquisition of BG Group that valued the company at over $54 billion.
• The most active acquirers during the quarter include Audax Group, The Carlyle Group, and KKR, with 15+ acquisitions.

P.E. & V.C. Exits: U.S. & Canada

• The number of investments exited by private equity and venture capital firms in the United States and Canada during the first quarter rose 29% over the same period in 2015.
• Approximately $56 billion in capital was exited during the first quarter, a 23% increase over the pervious period in 2015.
• In addition to exits, 72 North American PE and VC funds closed in Q1. The largest funds raised include Advent International's $13 billion buyout fund, and BTD Capital Partners' $6.2 billion buyout fund.

Thank you to MelCap Partners for the summary.