With the holiday season upon us and a new year fast approaching, we were hit by a blizzard of news this week. After formally announcing a review of strategic alternatives in mid-November and cancelling a financial analyst day previously scheduled for this past week, Instructure (INST) agreed to be taken private by Thoma Bravo for $47.60 per share in cash, representing a TTM EV/Sales multiple of 7.6x.
Read MoreSharpSpring (SHSP) acquired Marin Software’s (MRIN) Perfect Audience business for $4.6 million in cash. For Marin, the sale enables the company to focus on its enterprise brands across search, social and e-commerce advertising, and reduces Q4 revenue and non-GAAP operating income by $0.5 million and $0.2 million, respectively.
Read MoreFollowing months of speculation over Stamps.com’s (STMP) prospects for securing a new strategic partnership to mitigate the loss of incentive fees from the United States Postal Service (USPS), we were excited to see the company highlighted as a preferred partner under UPS’ Digital Access Program. We refer readers to our initial take on the news, “UPS Signs Agreement to Offer Discounted Shipping Rates to Stamps.com’s Customer Base,” for a more detailed discussion of the implications.
Read MoreDespite the short week post-Labor Day, there was much to absorb with a slew of companies reporting results, a number of notable acquisitions, and a couple of secondary offerings in the mix.
Read MoreWe began the week in Orlando, FL, where we attended American Software’s (AMSWA) Velocity Conference, the company’s first customer conference encompassing each of its four owned brands – Logility, Demand Solutions, NGC and Halo.
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