The number of deals in 2003 in ten categories among publishing, information and training companies fell 8% compared to the number of deals in 2002 while their value increased 23% according to Whitestone Communications' (New York) reference, Who's Buying Whom. Whitestone recorded 313 deals worth $9.01 billion in 2003 compared to 342 deals worth $7.36 billion in 2002.
The largest number and highest value of deals occurred in the Training and Postsecondary Schools category, where 92 deals were valued at $3.4 billion. The next largest categories included Educational/Reference (31 deals worth $1.76 billion) and Finance/Real Estate (22 deals worth $1.01 billion). The Trade Magazines/Trade Shows category showed 32 deals worth $355 million in 2003 compared to 29 deals worth $175 million in 2002.
Whitestone President Baran Rosen said "we think M&A turned in a respectable performance for the year. In fact, by the end of the year, we are seeing a re-born enthusiasm for deal-making unlike anything we have seen since the dot-com bust. This doesn't mean a return in 2003 to dot-com deal levels, but it does mean a measurable increase, perhaps in the 15-25% range, over 2003."
This article is reprinted with permission from The Business Publisher. Copyright January 31, 2004.
