Global M&A performance set for record-breaking year - Willis

Global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) performance surged in the first quarter of this year, continuing the momentum gained in the final months of 2020 and fuelled by a flurry of completed deals, according to Willis Towers Watson’s Quarterly Deal Performance Monitor (QDPM).

Based on share price performance, buyers outperformed the market by +13.8pp (percentage points) for deals valued over $100 million in the first three months of 2021. These are the second highest figures for any quarter since Willis Towers Watson launched the Quarterly Deal Performance Monitor (QDPM) in 2011. The data also maintain the long-term trend for deals outperforming the market since the global financial crisis (+2.3pp).

Run in partnership with the M&A Research Centre at The Business School (formerly Cass), the data underscore the scale of the rebound in dealmaking activity, which started toward the end of last year after plummeting in the early days of the pandemic. The number of deals was up by 21 percent from a year ago, with 206 deals completed in the first three months of 2021 (compared to 170 in Q1 2020).

This rise in deals is largely due to the North American region, where volumes were up 33 percent year on year, and makes Q1 2021 the region’s second largest first quarter on record. North American acquirers also outperformed their regional index by +16.3pp - the second consecutive quarter the region has achieved a positive performance.

Jana Mercereau, head of corporate M&A consulting, Great Britain at Willis Towers Watson, said: “US-based deals are responsible for much of this remarkable resurgence in activity, which looks set to continue through 2021, fuelled by the Biden administration’s $2 trillion dollar infrastructure and economic stimulus plan, booming stock markets, vast sums of cash to deploy and sustained low interest rates.”

Acquirers from Europe continued their strong form by outperforming their regional index by +12.1pp in Q1 2021, with UK buyers also adding value in this period. Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific acquirers strongly outperformed their regional index by +17.0pp.

The first three months of the year saw 58 large deals completed (deals in the range of $1 billion-$10 billion), compared to 44 in Q1 2020, which is the highest Q1 result since 2008. Dealmaking performance also improved in every sector of the economy - an almost unprecedented outcome.

Mercereau said: “Since the first half of 2020, when the spread of COVID led to many deals being delayed, confidence has returned allied with a more pragmatic and strategic focus on owning the right portfolio of assets for the long run. A shrinking pool of targets and increasing competition, however, could put buyers under pressure to buy more quickly. With financial conditions still uncertain, dealmakers will need to resist the temptation to cut corners on due diligence and take the time to review their targets and understand which levers to pull to maximise growth.”

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