Sleeping Beauty

What is the bond between the enchanted princess from the fairy-tale and the company that is considered prime for takeover, but has not yet been approached by an acquiring company?

"Sleeping Beauty" is a classic fairy tale which involves a beautiful princess, a sleeping enchantment, and a handsome prince. The version collected by the Brothers Grimm was an orally transmitted version of the originally literary tale published by Charles Perrault in 1697. And the earliest known version of the story is found in the narrative Perceforest, composed between 1330 and 1344 and first printed in 1528.

The investment market borrowed the image of enchanted princess. 'Sleeping Beauty' is a term used to define a firm that is ripe for takeover but still not known enough to attract an acquirer.

In relation to mergers and acquisitions (M&A), a sleeping beauty is a company that is "sleeping;" that is, one that is ripe for takeover to achieve its full potential. A sleeping beauty might be a new company that has great potential but has not yet been noticed, or it could be an established company that has not been managed well, and is therefore not maximizing its potential. A sleeping beauty essentially lies in wait until a takeover occurs, at which point the company theoretically would be able to live up to its potential.

---

Запоминаем:

takeover - поглощение

an acquiring company - приобретающая компания

sleeping beauty - потенциальный объект поглощения, которому не делалось соответствующих предложений

mergers and acquisitions (M&A) - слияния и поглощения