London, 26 March 2018 - In its latest analysis of global Mergers & Acquisitions activity in the  Enterprise Software and IT Services sectors, Hampleton Partners charts how the digital transformation of every business, from automotive through to healthcare, is driving record deal valuations in these sectors as companies incorporate disruptive technologies into their business models and shift to the cloud, all whilst having to secure themselves against cyber threats.

IT services’ largest deal was in the growing online payments sector, with Worldpay’s acquisition by Vantiv for $10.4 billion, valued at a sales multiple of 1.9x and an EBITDA multiple of 18.6x.

The IT services sector aggregate disclosed deal values hit a record high of $30.8 billion in the second half of 2017, up 34 per cent from 1H 2017, and up nearly threefold year-over-year. The enterprise software market maintained stable deal activity over the past 30 months, with both transaction volume and multiples remaining steady.

Private Equity investors made a big move into IT Services in 2017. Financial buyers disclosed $7.91 billion-worth of investment across 52 deals during the second half of the year, up 33 per cent on the total deal volume recorded in the first six months of 2017, and up 126% year-over-year.

Miro Parizek, founder and principal partner, Hampleton Partners, says: “Companies are dealing with very rapid change, across multiple fronts. It’s a case of digitally transform or die. They’re turning to M&A to navigate quickly and effectively the shifting landscape and satisfy the increasing service expectations of their customers.

“Cyber-security needs to be at the core of every digital transformation, to counter the relentless threats from increasingly sophisticated hackers and malware infection. It’s fueling the interest from businesses and investors looking to buy security solution providers as well as data management and analytics tools companies that mitigate the risk of them falling victim to an attack.”

The largest announced deal in the UK security category was the $33.6 million management buyout of the video business of Digital Barriers, a specialist tech provider to the global surveillance, security and safety markets. The Video Business features a wide range of products across the digital security landscape, including biometric, facial recognition technology, as well as body-worn video solutions.

Download the full Hampleton IT Services M&A Report here for free:  https://hampletonpartners.com/it-business-services-report-2018

Download the full Hampleton Enterprise Software M&A Report here for free: https://hampletonpartners.com/hampleton-enterprise-software-report-2018

ENDS

Media Contact:
Jane Henry
jane (at) marylebonemarketing.com
+44 789 666 8155

Note to Editors:

Hampleton Partners’ M&A Market Reports are compiled using data and information from the 451 Research database (www.451research.com).

Hampleton Partners is at the forefront of international mergers and acquisitions advisory for companies with technology at their core. Hampleton’s experienced deal makers have built, bought and sold over 100 fast-growing tech businesses and now provide hands-on expertise and unrivalled international advice to tech entrepreneurs and the companies who are looking to accelerate growth and maximise value.

With offices in London, Frankfurt and San Francisco, Hampleton offers a global perspective with sector expertise in: Automotive Technology, IoT, AI, FinTech, Hi-Tech Industrials & Industry 4.0, Cybersecurity, VR/AR, HealthTech, Digital Marketing, Enterprise Software, SaaS & Cloud, E-commerce. Download sector reports here.

Follow Hampleton on LinkedIn and Twitter For more information visit http://www.hampletonpartners.com