Mergers and acquisitions

M&A : Outward : Value of disposals : £m

£ 616 m

2019 Q4

Release date:

3 March 2020

Next release:

2 June 2020

Mergers and acquisitions involving UK companies: October to December 2019

What's in the bulletin?

• In Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2019, cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) involving a change in majority share ownership saw notable decreases in both value and number, while domestic M&A recorded an increase in the value but a notable fall in the number.
• During January to December 2019, the estimates for the values of inward and domestic M&A saw notable decreases from 2018; outward M&A also fell.
• Domestic M&A (UK companies acquiring other UK companies) was valued at £2.4 billion in Quarter 4 2019, higher than the previous quarter (£1.6 billion); the total value for domestic M&A for the whole of 2019 was £8.7 billion, notably lower than the value in 2018 (£27.7 billion).