Merger and acquisition (M&A) deal values recorded a 5.3-times increase year-on-year (y-o-y) in the third quarter of calendar year 2018 (Q32018) driven by outbound activity, according to a dealtracker report by Grant Thornton.

Merger and acquisition (M&A) deal values recorded a 5.3-times increase year-on-year (y-o-y) in the third quarter of calendar year 2018 (Q32018) driven by outbound activity, according to a dealtracker report by Grant Thornton. The report stated that M&A deal values stood at $11.506 billion in Q32018 compared with $2.147 billion in the same period last year.

The third quarter recorded two deals in the billion-dollar club and 12 deals estimated and valued at and above $100 million each, together capturing 89% of total M&A values. “Q3 2018 recorded 347 M&A and PE transactions worth $16.7 billion, showing an increasing trend both in terms of deal values and volumes,” the report stated.

Compared with Q22018, this quarter witnessed an 11% increase in deal volumes, while values dropped significantly by 75% on account of high values like Walmart-Flipkart ($16 billion) and Bharti Infratel-Indus towers ($14.6 billion) executed during Q22018.

The agriculture sector led the deal activity, accounting for 37% of the total deal value, driven by UPL’s acquisition of Arysta LifeScience for $4.2 billion, the largest outbound deal in the agriculture sector.

“The pharma sector remained active during the quarter, recording eight deals worth $1.3 billion, with Aurobindo Pharma’s acquisition of the dermatology business and generic US oral solids portfolio of Sandoz Inc. It turned out to be the largest outbound pharma deal by an Indian company. It was followed by Constellation Alpha Capital Corp’s acquisition of Medall Healthcare for $212 million, marking the largest investment in an Indian diagnostics company till date,” the report stated.

The start-up sector led the deal volumes, capturing a 22% share as a result of revived domestic investors’ interest in the fintech segment, followed by travel and on-demand services platform. The IT, manufacturing and retail sectors were active, together attracting 31% of total deal volumes and 35% of deal values, the report stated.