15 Notable Merger & Acquisition Deals of April 2014: Investment Idea of the Day

According to an M&A report for the month of April 2014 by Zephyr, a database of M&A, IPO, and private equity and venture capital deals, the value of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals in North America advanced 29% to $101.8 billion during April 2014 from $79.2 billion in March 2014. Growth was driven by an increase in the value of U.S. and Canadian deal-making, which rose by 28% and 22% respectively. The total deal value was up 39% over the corresponding period last year. However, the number of deals fell to the lowest recorded since September 2013 to 1,188. A total of 945 deals were announced in the U.S. which aggregated to $91.1 billion, while 243 deals worth $10.7 billion were announced in Canada during April.

Ubika Research has highlighted 15 U.S and Canadian acquisition deals across sectors announced during April 2014. We note the acquiring company’s stocks have accumulated gains during the past one month with daily average trading volume in excess of 100,000 shares.

Source: Bloomberg
Market Cap, Last Price and Deal Values are in their respective currencies

Company Description

Perficient Inc (NASDAQ: PRFT)
Perficient, Inc. is an information technology consulting firm. The company designs and delivers business-driven information technology solutions, such as business analysis, portal, content management, business integration/SOA, commerce, business intelligence and customer relation management (CRM). Perficient serves clients from a network of domestic and global locations.

B&G Foods Inc (NYSE: BGS)
B&G Foods Inc. manufactures, sells, and distributes shelf-stable foods across the United States. The company sells and distributes its products through supermarket warehouses, distributors, mass merchants, catalogs, and other sales channels. B&G sells foods such as salsa, maple syrup, pickles, baked beans, liquid smoke, meat spreads, and vinegars under its own brands.

Mallinckrodt PLC (NYSE: MNK)
Mallinckrodt PLC develops, manufactures and markets specialty pharmaceutical products and diagnostic imaging agents. The company specializes in the manufacturing of pain management medications. Mallinckrodt offers its products to major wholesalers and retail drug store chains around the world.

US Ecology Inc (NASDAQ: ECOL)
US Ecology, Inc. provides disposal, treatment, transportation, packaging, and remediation services for generators of hazardous, non-hazardous, and low-level radioactive waste. The company’s customers include the chemical, petroleum, steel, and pharmaceutical industries as well as universities and hospitals.

Hi-Crush Partners LP (NYSE: HCLP)
Hi-Crush Partners LP is a domestic producer of premium monocrystalline sand, a specialized mineral that is used as a “proppant” to enhance the recovery rates of hydrocarbons from oil and natural gas wells. The company owns, operates, and develops sand reserves in Wisconsin and limited portions of the upper Midwest region of the United States.

Assurant Inc (NYSE: AIZ)
Assurant, Inc. provides specialized insurance and insurance-related products. The company offers individual and small employer group health insurance, group dental insurance, pre-funded funeral insurance, group disability and life insurance, creditor-placed homeowners insurance, manufactured housing homeowners insurance, debt protection administration, credit insurance, and warranties.

Cadence Design Systems Inc (NASDAQ: CDNS)
Cadence Design Systems, Inc. provides software technology, design and consulting services and technology. The company licenses its electronic design automation software technology and provides a variety of professional services. Cadence’s design realization solutions are used to design and develop complex chips and electronic systems, including semiconductors.

TreeHouse Foods Inc (NYSE: THS)
TreeHouse Foods, Inc. is a food manufacturer servicing primarily the retail grocery and foodservice distribution channels. The company’s products include non-dairy powdered coffee creamer; canned soups, salad dressings and sauces; salsa and Mexican sauces; jams and pie fillings, pickles, and related products.

The Medicines Co (NASDAQ: MDCO)
The Medicines Company develops products that improve specialized care. The company markets Angiomax, an anticoagulant approved in the United States and other countries for use in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty procedures.

Prestige Brands Holdings Inc (NYSE: PBH)
Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. distributes over-the-counter healthcare and household cleaning products to retail stores in the United States, Canada and other international markets. The company distributes oral, eye and skin care; cough, cold, allergy and sinus; and household cleansers, sponges, scrubbers and cleaning pads.

Petroamerica Oil Corp (TSXV: PTA)
Petroamerica Oil Corp. is an oil and gas exploration and production company. The company owns interests in oil and gas assets in Colombia.

Cirrus Logic Inc (NASDAQ: CRUS)
Cirrus Logic, Inc. designs and manufactures integrated circuits that employ precision linear and advanced mixed-signal processing technologies. The company’s products enable system-level applications in mass storage, audio and precision data conversion. Cirrus serves a broad customer base in the mass storage, industrial, and audio markets.

Columbia Sportswear Co (NASDAQ: COLM)
Columbia Sportswear Company designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes active outdoor apparel. The company’s products include outerwear, sportswear, rugged footwear, and related accessories. Columbia’s products are sold to specialty and department store retailers in the United States and other countries.

Glu Mobile Inc (NASDAQ: GLUU)
Glu Mobile Inc. develops and publishes mobile games on a global basis. The company develops its games and related applications based on third-party licensed brands and other intellectual property, as well as on its own brands and intellectual property.

Multimedia Games Holding Co Inc (NASDAQ: MGAM)
Multimedia Games Holding Company Inc. designs, manufactures and supplies standalone and networked gaming systems. The company’s stand alone player terminals, server-based systems, video lottery terminals, electronic scratch ticket systems, electronic instant lottery systems, back-office systems and bingo systems are used by Native American and commercial casino operators.