West Technology Group has agreed to sell its Notified business to Equiniti for $534.5 million, enhancing communication tools for clients.
Quiver AI Summary
West Technology Group, LLC has announced a definitive agreement to sell its Notified business to Equiniti for $534.5 million, which includes an $80 million earnout. Notified serves corporate storytellers by providing technology and services for investor relations, public relations, and corporate communications, helping organizations effectively engage with their audiences. This transaction aims to enhance Notified's support for PR and IR professionals. The deal is expected to finalize in the second quarter of 2025, pending regulatory approvals. West plans to use the proceeds from the sale in accordance with its financial obligations.
Potential Positives
- West Technology Group has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Notified business for $534.5 million, which could significantly improve its financial position and liquidity.
- The sale includes an $80 million earnout, demonstrating the confidence in Notified's future performance under Equiniti, potentially benefiting West financially post-sale.
- This strategic partnership with Equiniti is expected to enhance Notified's service offerings, thereby maintaining customer satisfaction and potentially leading to growth in market share.
Potential Negatives
- West Technology Group's decision to sell its Notified business may indicate a reduction in its service offerings, potentially losing competitive edge in the corporate communications market.
- The sale's earnout clause of $80 million suggests West may not fully receive the anticipated value from the transaction, introducing uncertainty about future financial stability.
- The extensive list of risks and uncertainties mentioned in the release highlights vulnerabilities in West's operations, including competition, client retention, and potential financial difficulties.
FAQ
What is the value of the Notified business sale?
The Notified business is being sold to Equiniti for $534.5 million, including an $80 million earnout.
When is the transaction expected to close?
The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025, pending regulatory approvals.
Who is West Technology Group?
West Technology Group, LLC is a global leader in technology-enabled services, providing innovative solutions to clients worldwide.
What services does Notified provide?
Notified offers technology and services for investor relations, public relations, and corporate communications professionals.
Who advised West on this transaction?
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP served as the legal advisor and RBC Capital Markets as the financial advisor to West.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.
$APO Insider Trading Activity
$APO insiders have traded $APO stock on the open market 53 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 53 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $APO stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
- LEON D BLACK has made 0 purchases and 18 sales selling 1,000,000 shares for an estimated $173,477,023.
- JAMES C ZELTER (Co-President (See Remarks)) has made 0 purchases and 15 sales selling 500,000 shares for an estimated $86,950,874.
- SCOTT KLEINMAN (Co-President (See Remarks)) has made 0 purchases and 14 sales selling 500,000 shares for an estimated $86,835,230.
- MARTIN KELLY (Chief Financial Officer) has made 0 purchases and 3 sales selling 20,000 shares for an estimated $3,391,062.
- WHITNEY CHATTERJEE (Chief Legal Officer) has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 6,200 shares for an estimated $1,074,851.
- LOUIS-JACQUES TANGUY (Chief Acct. Off. & Controller) sold 2,500 shares for an estimated $441,250
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.
$APO Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 590 institutional investors add shares of $APO stock to their portfolio, and 446 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
- BLACKROCK, INC. added 10,750,494 shares (+45.7%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $1,775,551,589
- STATE STREET CORP added 8,187,700 shares (+77.4%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $1,352,280,532
- MILLENNIUM MANAGEMENT LLC removed 4,584,837 shares (-94.7%) from their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $757,231,678
- GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC added 3,695,979 shares (+64.6%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $610,427,891
- VANGUARD GROUP INC added 3,691,700 shares (+8.9%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $609,721,172
- FRANKLIN RESOURCES INC removed 3,538,160 shares (-29.6%) from their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $584,362,505
- JPMORGAN CHASE & CO added 2,825,061 shares (+151.5%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $466,587,074
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.
$APO Analyst Ratings
Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $APO in the last several months. We have seen 2 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.
Here are some recent analyst ratings:
- Goldman Sachs issued a "Buy" rating on 10/03/2024
- Cowen & Co. issued a "Buy" rating on 10/01/2024
To track analyst ratings and price targets for $APO, check out Quiver Quantitative's $APO forecast page.
$APO Price Targets
Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $APO recently. We have seen 7 analysts offer price targets for $APO in the last 6 months, with a median target of $157.0.
Here are some recent targets:
- John Barnidge from Piper Sandler set a target price of $188.0 on 12/09/2024
- Etinenne Ricard from BMO Capital set a target price of $157.0 on 11/06/2024
- Michael Brown from Wells Fargo set a target price of $164.0 on 11/06/2024
- Glenn Schorr from Evercore ISI set a target price of $174.0 on 11/06/2024
- Brian Bedell from Deutsche Bank set a target price of $155.0 on 11/06/2024
- Alexander Blostein from Goldman Sachs set a target price of $135.0 on 10/03/2024
- Steven Chubak from Wolfe Research set a target price of $139.0 on 09/24/2024
Full Release
ISLANDIA, N.Y., March 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- West Technology Group, LLC (the “Company” or “West”), a global leader in technology-enabled services, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Notified business to Equiniti (EQ) 1 , a global leader in shareholder services and advisory firm, for $534.5 million, inclusive of an $80 million earnout.
Notified is a leading global technology and services partner to corporate storytellers, including investor relations (“IR”), public relations (“PR”), and corporate communications professionals. Notified helps organizations effectively reach and engage customers, investors, employees, and the media – from IR websites and shareholder communications to marketing and regulatory press release distribution (via GlobeNewswire ® ), while measuring the associated impact of earned media and communication effectiveness.
“This strategic move brings together two complementary organizations, enhancing Notified’s ability to empower PR and IR professionals with the tools and support they need to manage their corporate narratives effectively,” said John Shlonsky, Chief Executive Officer and President of West. “After the close of the transaction, customers will continue to receive the exceptional service with the trusted solutions and support they have come to expect from Notified.”
The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the sale in accordance with its credit facility and indentures governing its outstanding notes.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP served as legal advisor and RBC Capital Markets served as financial advisor to West on the transaction.
About West
West Technology Group, LLC (“West”) is an innovative, cloud-based, global technology partner to clients around the world. Our solutions connect people and organizations at the right time and in the right ways, making those mission-critical connections more relevant, engaging, and actionable - turning Information to Insight.
West has sales and/or operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. West is controlled by affiliates of certain funds managed by Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE: APO). For more information, please visit www.west.com .
About EQ
EQ are specialists in helping you better understand and manage the ownership of your company through critical events across the corporate lifecycle. As trusted advisors, we provide strategic insight and operations expertise through our core business units in Transfer Agent Services, Employee Plan Solutions, Proxy Services and Private Company Services. Globally, we serve 5,000 clients (~50% of the FTSE 100 UK and ~35% of the S&P 500), with over 20 million shareholders, through 6,000 employees in 5 markets around the world. Learn more at equiniti.com/global .
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be generally identified by the use of words such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “intends,” “continue,” or similar terminology. These statements reflect only West’s current expectations and are not guarantees of future performance or results. These statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, competition in West’s highly competitive markets; increases in the cost of voice and data services or significant interruptions in these services; West’s ability to keep pace with its clients’ needs for rapid technological change and systems availability; the continued deployment and adoption of emerging technologies; the loss, financial difficulties or bankruptcy of any key clients; security and privacy breaches of the systems West uses to protect personal data; the effects of global economic and health trends on our business, including as a result of disruption of the business of West’s clients; the non-exclusive nature of West’s client contracts and the absence of revenue commitments; the cost of pending and future litigation; the cost of defending against intellectual property infringement claims; the effects of extensive regulation affecting many of West’s businesses; West’s ability to protect its proprietary information or technology; service interruptions to West’s data and operation centers; West’s ability to retain key personnel and attract a sufficient number of qualified employees; increases in labor costs and turnover rates; the political, economic and other conditions in the countries where West operates; changes in foreign exchange rates; West’s ability to complete future acquisitions, integrate or achieve the objectives of its recent and future acquisitions; and future impairments of our substantial goodwill, intangible assets, or other long-lived assets. In addition, West is subject to risks related to its level of indebtedness. Such risks include West’s ability to generate sufficient cash to service its indebtedness and fund its other liquidity needs; West’s ability to comply with covenants contained in its debt instruments; West’s ability to obtain additional financing; the incurrence of significant additional indebtedness by West and its subsidiaries; and the ability of West’s lenders to fulfill their lending commitments. West is also subject to other risk factors described in its annual report for the year ended December 31, 2023.
These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which the statements were made. West undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law.
-
Armor Holding II, LLC and Orbit Private Holdings I Limited (together, EQ)