Ten most notable acquisitions announced in 2021

2021 has only just started but it appears to be turning into the year of acquisitions. In the past two months alone, several leading companies have announced agreements to acquire smaller companies to expand their product portfolios or to strengthen their capabilities against rising competition. Here are the most notable ones among them:

Cognizant – Magenic Technologies

In January, Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) announced that it agreed to acquire Magenic Technologies for an undisclosed amount. Magenic is a privately-held software development services company based in Minnesota. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021. This is the third acquisition announced by Cognizant this year. The company has also agreed to acquire Linium, a cloud transformation consultancy firm, and Servian, a private data and analytics firm based in Australia.

Xerox – CareAR

Last month, Xerox Holdings Corporation (NYSE: XRX) announced the acquisition of CareAR, an augmented reality support platform company, for an undisclosed amount.

Workday – Peakon

Last month, Workday Inc. (NASDAQ: WDAY) announced its decision to acquire employee success platform Peakon ApS for approx. $700 million in cash. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of Workday’s fiscal year 2022, ending April 30, 2021.

Fiverr – Working Not Working

Earlier in February, Fiverr International Ltd. (NYSE: FVRR) announced the acquisition of creative talent platform Working Not Working for an undisclosed amount.

Hormel – Planters

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) announced an agreement to acquire the Planters snack nut portfolio from the Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ: KHC) for $3.35 billion in cash. The deal includes the Planters, NUT-rition, Planters Cheez Balls and Corn Nuts brands, and is expected to close in calendar Q2 2021.

Electronic Arts – Glu Mobile

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) announced the acquisition of mobile games developer GluMobile Inc. (NASDAQ: GLUU) for $2.1 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the quarter ending June 30, 2021.

Palo Alto – Bridgecrew

Cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW) announced its intent to acquire cloud security company Bridgecrew for approx. $156 million in cash. The deal is expected to close during the company’s fiscal third quarter.

Accenture – Infinity Works

Last week, Accenture (NYSE: ACN) completed the acquisition of cloud and digital transformation consultancy Infinity Works for an undisclosed amount. Accenture also announced the acquisition of its UK-based independent SAP partner Edenhouse.

Amazon – Selz

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) reportedly acquired Selz, an Australian company that makes tools which help businesses launch their own online stores. No further details were disclosed.

CrowdStrike – Humio

CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWD) agreed to acquire cloud technology provider Humio for approx. $400 million. The deal is expected to close in CrowdStrike’s fiscal first quarter 2022.

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