NEW YORK, Jan. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkery Noyes, an independent mid-market investment bank, today released its full year 2012 mergers and acquisitions trend report for the Software Industry. The report analyzes M&A activity in the Software Industry during 2012 and compares it with data covering 2010 and 2011.

According to Berkery Noyes' latest research, deal volume increased one percent from 1,513 transactions in 2011 to 1,529 transactions in 2012. At the same time, transaction value fell from $80.78 billion to $66.60 billion, a decline largely attributed to the lack of deals above $5 billion in 2012.

The median revenue multiple moved slightly from 2.2x to 2.1x, while the median EBITDA multiple declined from 12.9x to 11.9x. Regarding financially sponsored transactions within the Software Industry, there was a 19 percent rise in deal flow compared to 2011 and a 38 percent improvement relative to 2010. This included a 50 percent increase for private equity acquisitions in the Healthcare vertical for 2012.

The Niche Software segment, which is characterized as software that is designed to be used in specific vertical industries, experienced a nine percent increase in transaction volume in 2012. This was in contrast to the segment's 18 percent rise from 2010 to 2011. Meanwhile, there was a 35 percent M&A uptick in the last twelve months involving companies that serve the retailer portion of the Software Industry. One of the largest corresponding transactions was NCR Corporation's announced acquisition of Retalix for $650 million. In addition, deals in the retailer market with a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) component increased 16 percent in 2012. Another growth area in the report involved the supply chain and fleet management subsector. Deal volume in this subsector rose 72 percent over the past year.

Transaction volume in the Consumer Software segment increased seven percent from 2011 to 2012. The segment was impacted positively by both photography and social video software acquisitions, as M&A in the combined subsector improved fivefold on a year-to-year basis. In terms of notable facial recognition software transactions, Facebook acquired Face.com for $60 million and Google, through its subsidiary Motorola, acquired Viewdle for $45 million.

Volume in the Business Software segment was down 10 percent compared to the previous year and 16 percent relative to 2010. However, the segment's value of $14.37 billion was on par with its 2010 level. This was largely attributable to SAP America's acquisition of Ariba for $4.40 billion in 2012, which was the segment's highest value transaction during the three years covered in the report. The most active acquirer in the Business Software segment in 2012 was Oracle with seven transactions.

The Infrastructure segment, after undergoing an 18 percent rise in transaction volume from 2010 to 2011, decreased 12 percent in 2012. Nonetheless, related acquisitions in the software-defined networking (SDN) subsector were made by some of the industry's most notable companies. For example, Cisco Systems announced its acquisition of Cloupia, a software company offering IT solutions such as data center convergence, for $125 million in the fourth quarter. VMWare's announced acquisition of Nicira for $1.1 billion in the third quarter – which Berkery Noyes' mentioned in its previous report – was the highest value SDN transaction in 2012.

"Software-defined data centers, by facilitating a converged infrastructure, allow services in the cloud to be delivered more efficiently," said James Berkery, Chief Information Officer at Berkery Noyes. "As virtualization and the cloud continue to evolve, product innovation in the Infrastructure segment is likely to have a significant impact upon acquisition activity in the Software Industry."

A copy of the SOFTWARE INDUSTRY M&A REPORT FOR FULL YEAR 2012 is available at the Berkery Noyes website.

Berkery Noyes specializes in mergers and acquisitions advisory, debt and equity financing, and financial consulting services for companies in the $10 million to $500 million range, a market that is enjoying a surge in activity. The firm's research teams publish acquisition activity in the respective sectors they follow on MandAsoft.com.

About Berkery Noyes

Berkery Noyes is an independent investment banking advisory firm servicing the information industry. Focused on middle-market corporations and financial sponsors, Berkery Noyes is committed to delivering a comprehensive array of industry-leading advisory services. Since its founding by Joseph W. Berkery in 1983, the firm has worked with corporate clients to grow through acquisition, divest non-core assets, and maximize shareholder returns through strategic transactions and restructurings. For private owners, Berkery Noyes helps create liquidity and execute timely exit strategies that achieve their personal and professional objectives. Securities services are offered through Berkery Noyes Securities, LLC. For more information, visit www.berkerynoyes.com.

­­­Contact Information:
Peter Wilson
Berkery Noyes 
646-442-7966
peter.wilson@berkerynoyes.com

SOURCE Berkery Noyes