Moody's to Buy Amsterdam based publisher Bureau Van Dijk (BVD) for $3.3Billion

From Reuters:

Credit ratings agency Moody's Corp (MCO.N) said on Monday it would buy Dutch financial information provider Bureau van Dijk for about $3.3 billion, to extend its risk data and analytical businesses. 

Moody's will fund the deal through a combination of offshore cash and new debt financing.

Amsterdam-based Bureau van Dijk, owned by the fund EQT VI, distributes financial information and private company datasets of 220 million companies.

The deal is expected to benefit Moody's revenue and earnings in 2019, while adjusted earnings in 2018 is expected to see an uptick.

From the press release:

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Bureau van Dijk, a global provider of business intelligence and company information, for €3.0 billion (approximately $3.27 billion). The acquisition extends Moody’s position as a leader in risk data and analytical insight.

“Bureau van Dijk is a high growth information aggregator and distributor that positions Moody’s at the center of a unique network of global risk data,” said Raymond McDaniel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Moody’s. “This acquisition provides significant opportunities for Moody’s Analytics to offer complementary products, create new risk solutions and extend its reach to new and evolving market segments.”

“Moody’s is a highly regarded, authoritative source of credit ratings and analytical tools, with a strong brand and global reach,” said Mark Schwerzel, Deputy CEO of Bureau van Dijk. “The addition of Bureau van Dijk’s powerful information platform to Moody’s Analytics’ suite of risk management solutions presents a wide range of opportunities for us to better serve our combined customer base.”

Bureau van Dijk, operating from its Amsterdam headquarters, aggregates, standardizes and distributes one of the world’s most extensive private company datasets, with coverage exceeding 220 million companies. Over 30 years, the company has built partnerships with more than 160 independent information providers, creating a platform that connects customers with data that addresses a wide range of business challenges.

Bureau van Dijk’s solutions support the credit analysis, investment research, tax risk, transfer pricing, compliance and third-party due diligence needs of financial institutions, corporations, professional services firms and governmental authorities worldwide.

In 2016, Bureau van Dijk generated revenue of $281 million and EBITDA of $144 million. Bureau van Dijk will be reported as part of Moody’s Analytics’ Research, Data & Analytics (RD&A) unit. Moody’s expects approximately $45 million of annual revenue and expense synergies by 2019, and $80 million by 2021. On a GAAP basis, the acquisition is expected to be accretive to Moody’s EPS in 2019. Excluding purchase price amortization and one-time integration costs, it is expected to be accretive to EPS in 2018.

Moody’s will fund the transaction through a combination of offshore cash and new debt financing. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in the European Union and is expected to close late in the third quarter of 2017.

Bureau van Dijk is owned by the fund EQT VI, part of EQT, a leading alternative investment firm with approximately €35 billion in raised capital across 22 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the U.S. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

"We are very pleased with Bureau van Dijk's development under EQT ownership and want to thank management and employees for their hard work and dedication. We see an excellent fit between Bureau van Dijk and Moody’s Analytics, and congratulate Moody’s on acquiring this uniquely positioned company," said Kristiaan Nieuwenburg, Partner at EQT.

 
Some older stories on BVD from the blog:

Private Equity owners but the company up for sale in 2007 and had trouble selling at the time.  Reports suggested it sold for about $1.0B so quite an impressive return over 10 years for some group of owners.