Kontron yesterday announced that it will acquire the Cellular Automotive Module Unit from US company Telit Cinterion in an asset deal. The unit generates approx. € 100m sales per year at a c. 5% EBITDA margin. The purchase price of € 24.5m will be paid fully in cash, and is well covered by € 438m of gross cash on hand as of Q1’23. Closing is expected for August. Insights:
The acquired business sells connectivity modules for automotive applications, used e.g. for real-time data collection. Customers are automotive OEMs and Tier1 suppliers. The unit is ex Siemens, based in Berlin and employs some 100 specialist engineers. It should have been a more or less neglected part of Telit. Kontron’s management has shown in the past that they are experts in accelerating growth and improving profitability of such “special situation companies”.
With the deal, Kontron will in-source key connectivity technology and complement its product portfolio in the field of 5G / IoT. So far, Kontron had to source the modules from third-party suppliers such as Sierra Wireless (eHAIB). Kontron will bundle and cross-sell the modules into industrial and transportation markets, expanding the total addressable market and raising profitability, as verticals outside of automotive should allow for stronger pricing.
The deal looks value-accretive: Kontron will pay € 24.5m for c. € 5m annual EBITDA (5% margins), which indicates a cash flow return on the EV in excess of 10% pre-synergies, even when conservatively assuming up to € 2.5m annual maintenance capex. Management’s aim is to get the target’s margin up to 10% within 12 months through growth and cost synergies e.g. contract manufacturing can be shifted from the current suppliers to Ennoconn, which should result in lower production costs per unit. Action: We incorporate the acquired business from 08/23, assuming € 40m of sales and € 2m of EBITDA for the remainder of the year. From 2024E, we account for the full € 100m sales / € 5m EBITDA, conservatively not including the targeted synergies. Remains a Buy with a new PT of € 30.00 (old: € 29.50), based on DCF.
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