MoneyGram, a global provider of money transfer services, initially fielded a $13.25 per share offer from Ant Financial. After a fierce back-and-forth, Ant appears to have been declared victor in the bidding war after offering $18 per share.
Euronet highlighted in a press release that Ant Financial is a China-based company and elected officials have expressed concerned over a deal. In fact, M&A activity involving a Chinese acquirer and an American company require the approval of the Committee on Foreign Investment.
Nevertheless, assuming a deal is finalized and approved, Euronet may consider looking elsewhere in the space for another company to acquire.
Western Union And Global Payments A Hefty Price Tag
Given the fact that MoneyGram and Ant Financial agreed on a $1.3 billion deal, it may be safe to assume that the industry titan The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) isn't up for grabs.
According to Google Finance's data, Euronet ended 2016 with $809.72 billion in cash and short-term investments. While the cash-on-hand may be enough to finance a good portion of an acquisition of MoneyGram, Western Union's current $9.55 billion valuation may be out of reach — especially if a deal would occur at a similar 64 percent premium.
Similarly, Global Payments Inc (NYSE: GPN) boasts a $12.09 billion valuation which also makes a deal likely out of reach for Euronet.
Qiwi
Qiwi PLC (NASDAQ: QIWI), a major player of payment services in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States currently trades at a $1.05 billion.
Needless to say, political concerns might become top priority in any potential deal. Specifically, President Donald Trump said U.S.–Russia relations have hit a "low point," so an acquisition of a Russian company by an American one may not play out well.
Also important to keep in mind is that the company's base revenue is the Russian rubble so the American company would have to deal with any potential fluctuations in the currency when bringing cash back to the United States.
Euronet Doesn't Have To Be A Buyer
Needless to say, Euronet is under no obligation to shop for an acquisition after it failed to win MoneyGram. Needless to say, this doesn't mean that there won't be any M&A activity in the space.
Western Union did shell out £606 million ($974.6 million at that time) to acquire Travelex Global Business in 2011, so the company hasn't shied away from flexing its financial muscle.
Western Union may also feel the pressure to hunt for an acquisition after Global Payments' $4.3 billion acquisition of Heartland Payment Systems closed in April of 2016 to the approval of some Wall Street analysts.
Related Links:
Here's Why You Should Care About Chinese Startups
Alibaba's Ma Really Wants To Buy MoneyGram But Will It Be Approved?
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