Indianapolis-area auto dealers selling to bigger groups
The local car dealerships Hoosiers have long visited when shopping to buy a set of wheels could bear new names in coming years as aging owners look to sell off their businesses.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Articles
Houston-based company acquires local mechanical contractor
Comfort Systems USA Inc. continues to expand its local operations with its second acquisition of an Indianapolis company in the past year.
Negotiations leading to $558M Finish Line sale full of surprises
A new regulatory said Sports Direct International Inc., the United Kingdom-based sports-apparel retailer that was rumored for months to be on the verge of buying Indianapolis-based Finish Line, never actually wanted to buy the company.
Sprint shares plunge on concern that T-Mobile deal will be blocked
Sprint Corp. suffered its worst stock decline in almost six months, rocked by fears that a proposed $26.5 billion takeover by T-Mobile US Inc. will get rejected by antitrust enforcers.
Fishers-based Strada Education to sell Student Connections
Of Student Connections’ 58 employees in Indianapolis, 42 are expected to keep their jobs after the acquisition.
Private equity firms mull bids for Eli Lilly’s Elanco unit
The Indianapolis pharmaceutical giant is evaluating whether to keep the division, which makes animal-health products, or sell it or take it public. An analyst said it might fetch $16 billion.
UPDATE: Vectren selling to Texas utility for $6 billion
CenterPoint Energy Inc.’s purchase of Vectren would take out Indiana’s 13th-largest public company, with $2.4 billion in annual revenue. Every county surrounding Marion County receives service from Vectren.
Cigna-Express Scripts deal to face Justice Department review
Cigna Corp. confirmed that its proposed $54 billion acquisition of Express Scripts Holding Co. will be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Justice, which has raised the bar for approving deals that don’t combine direct competitors.
Anthem stays on sidelines amid blitz of megadeals
Business history is littered with colossally bad mergers that seemed brilliant at the time. So the insurer might benefit from avoiding the temptation to follow the current trend. Or it could get left in the dust.
Finish Line’s merger with British suitor could pose challenge to Foot Locker
Combining Indianapolis-based Finish Line Inc. and JD Sports Fashion from across the pond could create a firm within striding distance of the sports apparel industry’s heavyweight, according to an analyst.
United Kingdom retailer buying Finish Line for $558M
The purchaser is not Sports Direct International, a United Kingdom-based firm that began buying up Finish Line shares last year, but rather its top rival, JD Sports.
One of central Indiana’s oldest web developers acquired
New England-based SilverTech Inc. plans to expand to its second market by buying local stalwart Bitwise Solutions, which was founded in 1991.
Former Lilly CFO Rice to lead CVS Caremark, report says
Derica Rice, 53, one of the nation’s most powerful black executives, retired from Indianapolis-based drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co. in December, after the company passed him over when naming a new CEO.
Indianapolis-based Bluelock acquired, expects to grow locally
The 12-year-old local company is being acquired by a larger IT firm headquartered in California. Bluelock CEO Christopher Clapp said the deal was put together “to drive growth.”
Lilly revives proposals that would lower takeover barriers
The company’s board is asking shareholders to support two corporate-governance proposals, including one that would eliminate a requirement that buyout bids garner at least 80 percent shareholder approval.
Tech firm Octiv to be acquired but remain in Indianapolis
Founded in 2010 as Tinderbox Inc., Octiv will continue to operate under its current moniker until leaders determine how it will fit into the brand of Colorado-based document automation firm Conga.
$1B First Financial-MainSource deal gives boost to army of advisers
Completing the transaction will be highly profitable for the investment banking firms representing the institutions.
Is fast-growing rival of Lids frontrunner to buy chain?
Some analysts say the logical buyer for Zionsville-based Lids Sports Group is Fanatics Inc., an online-only rival that has been on a tear while Lids has struggled.
Local ed-tech firm acquired by industry goliath, to keep local presence
VeriCite Inc., a Fishers-based maker of plagiarism-detection software, is being acquired by Turnitin, a Silicon Valley-based leader in the plagiarism-detection industry. Turnitin officials said they will maintain and grow its local presence.
Lids parent ‘exploring’ sale of struggling retailer
Retail conglomerate Genesco Inc. said Tuesday that it has hired an outside firm to advise it in the potential sale of Zionsville-based Lids Sports Group, its weakest-performing division.