Engility Holdings, Inc. plans to buy privately held TASC, Inc. in an all-stock transaction worth around $1.1 billion, including the assumption of net debt.
The acquisition will leverage the strengths of both companies to create a leading government services provider with expected revenue of approximately $2.5 billion in 2014. The boards of directors of both companies have approved the transaction, and it is expected to close in the first quarter of 2015.
“The combination of our two complementary businesses is transformational and represents a unique opportunity to create a top-tier government services company,” said Engility’s President and CEO Tony Smeraglinolo. “Since our successful spin-off and through our recent acquisition of DRC, which created substantial benefits for our stockholders, we have built a strong track record of developing and executing integration strategies that drive meaningful top- and bottom-line synergies. We expect this transaction to extend our track record and accelerate our growth strategy, which is focused on further diversifying our customer base, adding substantial scale to our business, broadening our capabilities and increasing our addressable market. Following the completion of the transaction, we expect our stockholders to benefit from an enhanced adjusted earnings growth rate, a significantly increased free cash flow and a lower effective cash tax rate.”
Founded in 1966, TASC has a significant presence in the intelligence community, space and other markets in which Engility would like to be more present. TASC is a prime contractor on 85 percent of its work and expects to generate $1.1 billion in revenue and $90 million in adjusted EBITDA in 2014.
Through this transaction, two highly complementary businesses will combine to form an entity expected to deliver services to a larger customer base.
“While everyone’s been calling for industry consolidation, most experts were predicting mergers involving highly leveraged private equity portfolio companies,” said Robert Kipps, Managing Director of KippsDeSanto & Co. “What a healthy breath of fresh air that Engility, a company that didn’t exist 2.5 years ago, ends up being the one to take out both DRC and TASC, two longtime industry firms (around in each case for nearly 50 years) who had been struggling to perform in today’s highly competitive market.”
The company will maintain the Engility Holdings, Inc. name and continue to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol EGL.