Mergers & Acquisitions

Aran's principals have extensive experience acting as the exclusive agent representing both sellers and buyers. Our mergers and acquisitions advisory practice includes:

• Seller representation;
• Divestitures;
• Management buyouts;
• Buyer representations;
• Spin-offs;
• Privatization of public entities;
• Privitization of state owned entities;
• Leveraged recapitalizations; and
• Corporate valuation and fairness opinions (see Financial Advisory).

Buyer Representation

Aran represents corporate and private investors in acquiring businesses. Such assignments may involve acquisition searches or targeted projects. In such assignments, the Firm helps the client:

• Formulate acquisition criteria;
• Identify and contact primary targets;
• Negotiate transaction terms;
• Maintain client anonymity; and
• Raise acquisition financing.

Aran advises the management of companies in formulating buyout plans. Such situations may include advising management on alternative courses of action, presenting the plan to the Board of Directors, negotiating the terms of the transaction, and arranging financing. By utilizing Aran, the management group protects its delicate relationship with the Board of Directors and the shareholders of the company. In working closely with management, Aran anticipates the probable responses by shareholders and Boards of Directors in order to prepare appropriate actions by the buyout group. Aran's investment bankers are aware of the dynamics governing shareholder decisions and steer transactions away from untenable outcomes.

Seller Representation

he scope of sell-side assignments varies depending on the goals of each business owner. Mandates can range from resolving family business succession issues through complete divestitures to providing business owners with liquidity and estate diversification through minority or majority equity recapitalizations. The scope of our involvement has ranged from full-scale representation, in which the Firm prepares the information memorandum, identifies potential buyers and negotiates the transaction, to special assignments in which the Firm may be retained to negotiate a specific transaction with a previously identified buyer or investor.

At times, a seller may have already identified a buyer and even agreed on some of the basic transaction terms. In such a situation, the seller will still benefit from engaging Aran. Our professional assistance helps the seller avoid numerous pitfalls in the transaction process, gain a clear, objective view of the value of the business and, if appropriate, expand the potential list of buyers. In many cases, the engagement of an investment banker can motivate the buyer to complete a transaction expeditiously to avoid a potential auction process.