The busy year in M&A continued this weekend when private equity firm Thoma Bravo announced it was acquiring RealPage for $10.2B.
In RealPage, Thoma Bravo is getting a full-service property management platform with services like renter portals, site management, expense management and financial analysis for building and property owners. Orlando Bravo, Founder and a Managing Partner of Thoma Bravo sees a company that they can work with and build on its previous track record.
“RealPage’s industry leading platform is critical to the real estate ecosystem and has tremendous potential going forward,” Bravo said in a statement.
As for RealPage, company CEO Steve Winn, who will remain with the company, sees the deal as a big win for stock holders, while giving them the ability to keep investing in the product. “This will enhance our ability to focus on executing our long-term strategy and delivering even better products and services to our clients and partners,” Winn said in a statement.
RealPage, which was founded in 1998 and went public in 2010, is a typical kind of mature platform that a private equity firm like Thoma Bravo is attracted to. It has a strong customer base with over 12,000 customers and respectable revenue, growing at a modest pace. In its most recent earnings statement, the company announced $298.1 million in revenue, up 17% year over year. That puts it on a run rate of over $1 billion.
Under the terms of the deal, Thoma Bravo will pay RealPage stockholders $88.75 in cash per share. That is a premium of more 30% over the $67.83 closing price on December 18th. The transaction is subject to standard regulatory review, and the RealPage board will have a 45-day “go shop” window to see if it can find a better price. Given the premium pricing on this deal, that isn’t likely, but it will have the opportunity to try.
