March 10th, 2025

Mergers &
Acquisitions

Take A Peek Into M&A Review for March 10th, 2025

Deal: WPP and Bain Capital To Split Up Kantar Group

Reported By: Ashrith Desu
Released On: March 9th, 2025 3:45pm EST

WPP and Bain Capital Pivot from IPO to Asset Sale

WPP (NYSE: WPP) and Bain Capital are restructuring their market research firm, Kantar Group. While an initial plan involved taking the company public, challenging market conditions made an IPO less feasible, leading them to prepare for a sale of Kantar Group’s major divisions.

Bain Capital’s 2019 Acquisition and IPO Ambitions

Bain Capital first acquired a 60% stake in Kantar Group back in 2019 at a valuation of $4 billion, while WPP retained a minority stake. In the past 6 years, the owners have worked to enhance operations and improve profitability to launch an IPO (Initial Public Offering). Challenging market conditions and hesitant investors made their original goal of an IPO less viable at this time.

Strategic Shift Toward Divisional Sales

Both owners have opted to sell Kantar’s key divisions to maximize their returns. Kantar’s rapidly growing market intelligence unit, Numerator, is at the top of this list, with its recent merger with Worldpanel to develop a consumer data powerhouse. Earlier this year, Kantar’s media division was offloaded to private equity group H.I.G. Capital.

Focus on Numerator and Return on Investment

While an IPO is off the table, WPP and Bain Capital hope to recoup their investment through these sales, with Numerator expected to be sold as early as this year.

Source: https://seekingalpha.com/news/4418760-wpp-bain-capital-plan-breakup-and-sale-of-kantar-group-ft-reports

Deal: ServiceNow & Moveworks Acquisition

Reported By: Julia Su
Released On: March 10th, 2025 9:18 AM EST

ServiceNow Announces Largest Acquisition to Date

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), a leading American software company that specializes in cloud-based platforms, just announced its largest acquisition to this date. The company is acquiring Moveworks, an American AI enterprise automation firm for $2.85 billion in cash and stock.

Moveworks: A Fast-Rising AI Automation Leader

Moveworks, which was founded in 2016, provides an autonomous AI assistant that automates support for all business operations. More than 350 major corporations, such as Siemens, Toyota, and Palo Alto Networks, utilize its product. The company is valued at $2.1 Billion and has investors from Bain and Iconiq, to name a few.

Strategic Benefits for ServiceNow’s AI and Automation Capabilities

ServiceNow’s acquisition of Moveworks is expected to significantly improve its enterprise automation and AI abilities. The company hopes to increase employee productivity by integrating ServiceNow’s automated workflow with Moveworks’ AI chatbot and enterprise search technology. This combination– which includes a universal AI “assistant” to speed up operations and other processes across all company domains– will make it easier for businesses to adopt AI.

Source: https://seekingalpha.com/news/4418779-servicenow-nears-largest-acquisition-yet-with-3b-moveworks-deal-report

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