2015 was undoubtedly a huge year for mergers and acquisitions (M&A). As companies come and go, some have found themselves able to stay in the market thanks to the huge companies that tend to acquire them.
In fact, CNBC reports that M&A activity across the globe in 2015 "reached a volume of $4.9 trillion." 2015 was able to beat the current record of $4.6 trillion in 2007. Here are just some of the biggest M&A deals that happened this year:
1. Pfizer/Allergan
On November 23, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer was able to acquire Allergan for a whopping $160 billion, which also includes the company's debt coverage.
As it turns out, the acquisition is the second-largest M&A deal in history, just one notch behind Vodafone AirTouch's acquisition of Mannesman in 1999 worth $170 billion.
2. Dow Chemical/DuPont
According to Forbes, Dow Chemical and DuPont were able to settle a merger deal on December 11. The deal value, which is on a "stock-for-stock" basis, cost $130 billion.
3. AB InBev/SABMiller
Belgian beer brewery Anheuser-Busch InBev was able to acquire their British competitor, SABMiller, on November 11. The deal value, also including debts, reached $107 billion.
4. Shell/BG Group
Royal Dutch Shell acquired BG Group, a British energy supplier, back in April. Apparently, the acquisition - costing $79.3 billion - was to "diversify Shell's operations by improving its liquefied gas and deep water exploration capabilities."
5. Charter/Time Warner
Charter Communications, a U.S. broadband provider, acquired Time Warner Cable on May 26. The deal was worth $79.25 billion. The acquisition was definitely a good move, since it was able to increase Charter's customer base.
6. Dell/EMC
On October 12, Dell was able to acquire data storage company EMC for $67 billion. The acquisition is the second largest technology merger, as per Fortune, coming after the $106 billion merger between AOI and Time Warner in 2000.
7. Heinz/Kraft
Kraft was able to acquire Kraft Foods Group on March 25. The deal, costing $55.42 billion, prompted the creation of Kraft Heinz Company - which is now the third largest food company in the United States.
