M&A Stock Picks: 3 Acquisition Targets to Buy Now

Mergers and Acquisitions Activity - Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity increased by 17% worldwide in the first half of 2024, with 90% of the largest deals involving U.S. targets [1] - Almost half of the top 10 deals in 2024 were stock transactions rather than cash payments, attributed to higher interest rates and healthy stock prices [1] Celanese (CE) - Celanese is the 83rd smallest company in the S&P 500 with a market capitalization of $15.15 billion and its stock is down over 10% year-to-date [2] - The company reported Q1 2024 sales of $2.61 billion, an 8.4% decline from $2.85 billion a year earlier, and an operating income of $210 million, down 16.3% from $251 million [3] - Celanese's stock is valued at 12.35 times its forward 2024 earnings, with a price-to-sales ratio of 1.42, below its five-year average of 1.74, making it a potential acquisition target for larger companies like Dow or DuPont [4] Pinterest (PINS) - Pinterest has a market capitalization of $25.78 billion and its stock is up 4% year-to-date [5] - Meta Platforms could be a potential buyer for Pinterest, as it seeks to improve its reputation in social media [5][6] - Pinterest's Q2 2024 results showed a 12% increase in monthly average users to 522 million and a 21% revenue increase to $853.7 million, despite a market reaction to weak guidance [7][8] E.L.F. Beauty (ELF) - E.L.F. Beauty has a market capitalization of $9.40 billion and its stock is up 20% year-to-date, although it is down nearly 25% from its 52-week high [9] - Estee Lauder, with a market cap 3.7 times that of ELF, could be a potential acquirer as it seeks to recover from a significant decline in value [9] - Estee Lauder announced layoffs of 3-5% of its global workforce, which could lead to a nearly 40% increase in operating profits post-restructuring [10]