The number of terminated private equity-backed deals in the first quarter fell for a third straight quarter to two, compared with 11 transactions in the same period in 2023, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data.
The data suggests more private equity deals are getting done as buyers and sellers work through valuation gaps.
Alternative asset managers are following the decreasing trend of overall terminated M&A. Terminated M&A deals in the first quarter plunged 89.3% year over year to 17, the lowest quarterly count since at least 2020.
The value of the two private equity deals that were scrapped stood at about $2.24 billion, down from $14.78 billion in the first three months of 2023.
In terms of overall M&A, the value of terminated deals in the first quarter went down to $10.01 billion, versus $89.52 billion in the first quarter a year ago.
– Download a spreadsheet with data in this story.
– Read the fourth-quarter 2023 Data Dispatch on terminated private equity-backed deals.
– Read the latest on private equity exits.
In the biggest terminated deal so far in 2024, an investor group including Kimmeridge Energy Management Co. LLC intended to sell oil and gas company SilverBow Resources Inc. to Kimmeridge Texas Gas LLC for $2.24 billion.
SilverBow rejected Kimmeridge's offer March 28, saying it substantially undervalues the company, according to The Wall Street Journal. According to SilverBow, Kimmeridge admitted it nominated three director candidates for SilverBow's board in an attempt to gain control and force the proposed deal.
The other canceled deal during the quarter was Flerie Invest AB's proposed acquisition of Swedish biopharmaceutical company Lipum AB (publ) for $2.5 million.
Lipum's board of directors unanimously recommended on March 20 not to accept Flerie's cash offer of 6.60 Swedish kronor per share. The board said it was a negative premium of about 16.24% to Lipum's closing price of 7.88 kronor March 6 on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market.
As of April 22, US$1 was equivalent to 10.92 Swedish kronor.